iMeet You Again
by addictedtochocolates
Summary: "You got in! Sam, you got in!" "There's more to that, Shay, didn't you read the end? I have to go for training in Singapore. For 2 years. Maybe more."  When Sam gets an awesome job and accepts it, what will happen to her relationship with Freddie? Seddie
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! **

**Really sorry for not updating lately, been really busy with school and what have we.**

**Anywho, I digress, let's get on with the story!  
>Disclaimer: I wished on so many shooting stars for iCarly, but Dan Schneider told me yesterday that iCarly belongs to him and that the "stars" I was wishing on were airplanes. Phooey.<strong>

**iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.**

* * *

><p>"<em>So." Sam looks at Freddie, who's leaning on the elevator wall. "Did we just break up?"<em>

_He closes his eyes as tightly as he cans, and she swears she can see a teardrop at his eye. "Feels like it."_

* * *

><p>Sam looks out the window of her dorm room in Julliard, perched on the window seat, acceptance letter in hand. The sky is a bright amazing blue, the same colour as her eyes, and it's a miracle for New York, which can compete for most rainy state with Seattle, who's right in front of it. She's only gotten the letter for an hour, yet she's memorised it by heart.<p>

Miss Samantha Puckett:

We, here at Pandah Advertising, would like to offer you a job opportunity at our company, with effect from your graduation from Julliard.

Job training will be held in Singapore at one of our major HQs, immediately from your acceptance.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Remus Black

Head of Humans Resources

* * *

><p>"<em>But, hey… It was mutual, right?" He asks, glancing at her, the smile on his face so similar to the one he had when they'd kissed for the first time, the one that's haunted her for years in her dreams. She considers this for what seems like a decade before answering. "… Yeah."<em>

* * *

><p>Her phone rings, and it's a text from her boyfriend, the one who'd encouraged her to go for the interviews, who'd pushed her and made her put in her best efforts.<p>

**Text from: The King of Nubs—Freddie.**

"_Hey, Princess. What's the verdict?"_

A bird flies across her window and she sort of wishes she could fly too.

He always told her to shoot for the stars, so she'd at least land amongst the clouds. It didn't feel that way.

She felt like she'd fallen, face first onto cold, cement ground.

Her best friend, Carly, appears, and the bright and cheerful grin on her face falters a little as she looks at the expressionless blonde.

"Sam, what's wrong?" She asks, before her eyes land on the forgotten letter. Bending down and picking it up, she scans it for about three seconds before squealing in joy, throwing the letter away, and it floats gracefully onto the bed, jumping and dancing in pure exhilaration.

"You got in! Sam, you got in!"

"There's more to that, Shay."

"Huh?" The perky brunette's a little taken aback by the less than stellar response from Sam, who's been dreaming of this job in forever. Her blue eyes are red-rimmed with sadness and solemnity, and her hair hangs limply around her shoulders, as if they've lost their shine.

"Didn't you read the end?" Sam asks dully, as she closes her eyes, before continuing in a dead and monotonous voice. "I have to go for training in Singapore. For two years. Maybe more."

When the brunette has recovered from her shock and plops on the bed, Freddie walks in. Taking in the looks on the two girls' faces, he shakes his head and sighs.

"What's happening this time?"

Sam says nothing, instead, she throws the letter at him, allowing him five seconds to skim through it before she flings herself into his arms and starts to sob. These five seconds, however, are enough for him to realise the importance of the situation, despite hardly even getting to read a word, and he doesn't say a word when Carly joins in, her cheeks already wet with tears.

The iCarly trio stay this way for a long time after that, the only noise emitted being Carly and Sam's sobbing.

* * *

><p><em>"I love you." He calls out to her, slightly hesitant, and she's almost certain she's about to cry. She raises her eyebrows in shock, trying to calm herself down and shrugs, giving him a faint smile.<em>

_"I love you, too." It comes out in a breath, because she's terrified that if she doesn't say it in time, she'll never be able—never dare—to say it, and he'll never get to hear what he deserves to know._

_And he deserves to know._

* * *

><p>The trio reaches the airport, and they're joined by Spencer and Gibby. The former has his eyes brimming with tears; Sam's like his other little sister, and he's come to love the little blonde demon who's his angelic baby sister's best friend. The latter, however, has his shirt off, and he's just smiling as he wishes Sam farewell.<p>

Spencer hugs Sam tightly, and it's hard to tell who's crying more; Sam's about to leave the only male role model in her life, and Spencer's the closest she's ever come to a father or older brother. They finally break apart, Spencer ruffling her hair, sniffling as he tries to control himself from bursting into the great big baby sobs that everyone present knows he'll cry later in his room at home, and Sam promises, ankle swears, that she'll write to him, emails that are just for him.

Next is Carly, who's already cried a waterfall of tears the past few weeks in the shower, and her eyes are puffy and red from all the tears, but nevertheless, she's still stunning, because she's Carly. Sam's her best friend, and while it's been torture sometimes to take care of the feisty blonde who gets herself into scrape after scrapes, she, like her brother, has grown used to a life with Sam, who's like a sister to her. She gives Sam a big bear hug, more tears running down both their faces unabashedly, and Sam whispers into her ears, "Stay brun, Carls."

She breaks apart, a smile on her tear-stained face. "Stay blonde, Sam."

Freddie's next, and Sam smiles at him, a shadow of her usual grin, tear tracks still on her face from her hug with Carly. Despite all the pain and torment she puts him through, and the fact that's he's such a nerd that it pains her, she knows that she loves him, and he does too, despite their desicion to go on a break these two years that they're going to be apart. They hug each other, and as Sam puts her head into the crook of his neck, she feels safe, and she doesn't ever want to let go. She feels his lips on her cheek, murmuring a "I love you," and she feels the waterworks start again.

"I love you, too." She mutters, her lips moving on the skin of his neck, before she lets go. "_I love you, too_."

Gibby's last, and Sam can't help but smirk at the boy, who seems like he's never grown up, and who's grinning at her cheerfully and without a care in the world.

"Stay Gibby, Gibs." She says, before maving to them all, dragging her suitcase and heading into the departure hall, not turning back.

She doesn't know if she'll be able to stay if she turns and sees what she's leaving behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you guys like that? I hope you did, because it's gonna be a mullti-chap fic! xD Yayy!<strong>

**Thanks for reading! Reviews, pretty please with iCarly on top? **

**Well, not really, because iCarly belongs to Dan. Phooooooooeyyyyyy. D8**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys!**

**Okayyyy. I know that Remus Black sounds like Harry Potter, so I'll have to admit it-I ran out of names! **

**Also, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been really really busy lately. D:**

**I promise to update at least once a week, yeah?**

**Oh, and just to clarify, in Chapter One, there were flashbacks of iLove You, even though Sam and Freddie were together in iMYA. Yeah. I was going to make it a oneshot, but it just evolved into this. Hehehh. Err. Yeah, Sam's just having a flashback of the time they broke up. Hope that answers your questions, I love Lewis!**

**Let's get on with the story, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly, as much as I'd love to. D:**

* * *

><p>"Hey, Sam." Sam's co-worker—or rather, secretary—Josephine called as she poked her head into Sam's office, a big grin on her face. "Are you going for lunch, or should I buy food back for you?"<p>

Sam pushed her messy blonde curls off her face, leaning into her chair as she smirked at the younger girl before groaning in mock horror. "You mean I have to leave this office?"

When her words made the girl giggle in amusement, the smirk returned to her face. "Of course I will, silly."

"Okay! Your treat _arh."_ The raven haired girl winked before leaving, slipping into Singlish, as most Singaporeans did. Sam did it too, sometimes, when she wasn't aware of it. In her defense, she only ever did it in front of her co-workers, and no one else.

Then again, she'd picked up a lot of things besides Singlish. For example, a certain language called Chinese, which Carly had tried to pick up so many years before but failed.

Yup. Surprised?

_You shouldn't be._

* * *

><p>After a hearty meal of steak and other meats at a restaurant nearby—Sam thought that it was time for Josephine to have a good treat; the girl had been with her since she was an intern last year, and a hardworking one at that, she deserved something good, every once in a while—they headed to Starbucks to grab a coffee, a Caramel Frappe for Josephine, and a Venti Mocha Frappe for Sam.<p>

They walked back, coffee in hand, large grins on their faces as Josephine shared all the gossip she heard in her little cubicle in front of Sam's glass-walled office, which was conveniently smack dab in the middle of their team's floor.

Sam liked her office. The walls were transparent, allowing her to place things such as reminders on the walls, and the idea that she was able to see what everyone was doing came in useful, especially when they were trying to rush through a project. It made it convenient, and the tema was definitely more bonded than other Teams were, just due to the layout of their floor.

_"Eh_, I think I heard someone say something the other day _leh…_ Oh shit, how come I can't remember it now?" Josephine muttered under her breath, only loud enough for Sam to hear as they were walking along the pathway back to the Company. Josephine, apparently, had heard something regarding Sam, but it had slipped her mind just as she was about to inform Sam.

"_Aiya,_ it's okay. Just tell me tomorrow, all right?" Sam replied as they entered the doors of the floor their team was on, and were greeted by their other co-worker, Clarence, the practical joker that was just as chubby as Gibby. "_Eh,_ got coffee never buy for me _arh_?"

Sam and Josephine laughed as the latter replied with a cheeky, "You never ask _mah_!" before placing a cup of coffee in his hands, Sam already heading for her office. "Extra milk and sugar, right?"

Sam entered her glass-walled office, and pulled away the curtains, spinning around the small room, pieces of post its on her hand. Hmmm…

Rolling over to the wall nearest to Clarence, she stuck a hot pink post-it, 'Reports?' written on it with black sharpie, then Tim, with a blue 'Statistics?', Kai Ling with a 'Files!' and lastly, Xiao Ern with 'Proposals!'

Before long, all the hard copies were piled up on her table, and her email had four new unread mail in it. Smiling, she signalled for the four to return to their seats. Their team had received the ever fussy Mr Lim, who'd already rejected Team One and Team Two's proposals numerous times in a single week. If her team could please this guy… They'd be promoted.

Again, for the third time in two months.

The company had a hierarchy system. When new recruits were hired, they were placed into a Team, where they'd stay. When the Team made progress, and reached a quota of a certain number of successful proposals, everyone was promoted, and vice versa. The Team Managers were the ones who supervised the Team, and was basically, the Head of Department.

Or rather, the Head of Team.

If they were promoted again, Sam's team would be Team Two.

So, before she clicked send on the email that held the softcopy of their final proposal, she closed her eyes and hoped for the best…

A few hours later, Sam again had her eyes closed, her finger poised over the button of her mouse, except this time, she had the entire team in her office, their eyes on her, and she clicked, gingerly prying her eyes open.

Five seconds passed before the team shouted in absolute joy.

Mr Lim had loved their proposal and the whole team was going to be promoted to Team Two! As the group quietened down, Sam cleared her throat. "A normal, mushy, sentimental Team Manager would tell you that they're glad you did your best, and that they're proud of you and all that chiz. I say, dinner's on me tonight, guys!"

* * *

><p>"… A Sirloin Steak, medium rare, mushroom sauce, and three bottles of your best champagne." Sam ordered, the waiter nodding before heading off to the kitchen to prepare their order.<p>

"Anyway, Muthu says that they're preparing another project, on some skincare product, er…" Jie Yi said, her voice trailing off.

"Isn't that the Alove product? The one made of Aloe Vera extract or something?" Clarence asked, scratching his head.

"我不知道啦,** (A/N: wo bu zhi dao la, I don't know la.)** but I think so." Jie Yi answered, frowning. "Oh wait ah… Muthu just texted me, it's Alove. Let's start planning!"

Sam put up both hands, grinning as her steak was put in front of her. "Guys, we just got promoted, there's no need to rush into another project now. Besides, meat does not go well with work."

Josephine laughed before clapping her hands, her mouth dropping open. "Sam, I remember what it was that I wanted to tell you!"

Sam raised an eyebrow, confused as everyone turned to face the petite brunette. "What?"

"The next client… He might be from Seattle, too."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! <strong>

**I know this is really, really short, and I'm terribly sorry! **

**Hahahh, I might be using chinese words in this story, but I'll put an explanation, and show you how it's read! Heehee. **

**Also, the Singlish words are itacilsed (Sp?), and they don't mean anything, they're just... I don't even know. Oops!**

**Anyways, review? Pleaseeeee?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry this took sososososoooo long, I'm just really busy this year!**

**Just a heads up, I'll be updating this about once a week or once a fortnight, and I'm terribly sorry for the wait!**

**I love you guys more than Sam loves Ham!**

**Disclaimer: I'd own iCarly if Sam suddenly became a vegetarian. Wait, there's no chance of that ever happening? Darn!**

**No, really, iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider.**

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson stared at his watch for what seemed to be the hundredth time in five seconds, groaning from his seat on the ice-cream sandwich loveseat of Carly Shay's bedroom, shooting daggers at the girl sitting at her dressing table who seemed to be unearthing her jewellery box and putting on her make-up simultaneously. "C'mon, Carls, you look perfectly fine, can we go now?"<p>

"Well, fine's not good enough for a fancy dinner party hosted by one of my best friend now, is it?" Carly snapped, not unpleasantly as she put on a simple diamond necklace that Spencer had given to her when she'd turned eighteen. "There, that should work."

"Great, now let's go. We're about to be late, and I'm the host." Freddie replied, standing up and turning towards the direction of the door.

"Wait! I've gotten an email from S—" Carly gasped, turning around to tell Freddie before whirling wildly back again to face the screen.

"I don't care if you've gotten an email from the President himself, we've got to go, and right now, Carly Shay!" Freddie snapped, heading out the door.

"Geez, fine. Who's gotten your panties in a twist?" Carly said, half walking, half running after him, her computer screen forgotten and opened to an email from a certain blonde haired Sam Puckett.

"And today I am proud to unveil P&B's first product aimed for teenagers, the PP1." Freddie announced, a gigantic grin on his face as he revealed a paper thin, chocolate-brown phone from underneath a silk red cloth. "The touch screen phone is not only paper thin, waterproof and shockproof, enabling teenagers easy access, it also allows internet access and phone signals wherever you are, no matter what phone plan you're subscribed to. The chic design by our star designer Carly Shay, comes in fifteen different colours that will be sure to catch the eyes of teenagers, especially the females."

Freddie took a deep breath after that part of his speech, taking the time to read from the index cards that were strategically placed on the table so they'd be out of view, making sure that he knew whatever he needed to say. He continued as the slide on the screen beside him changed. "We have also decided to get the help of Pandah Advertising to help us promote this product."

At the words Pandah Advertising, Carly's head shot up, more alert than ever, a look of shock evident on her face, and even Brad, who was sitting beside her as Carly's guest, looked slightly more alarmed and surprised. Freddie himself felt a slight frown on his face before he shook it away with a smile, why did Pandah Advertising sound so very familiar to him? Thanking the crowd, he returned to his seat at his table beside Carly and Brad.

"You hired Sam's company to advertise us?" Carly whispered loudly, trying to keep a smile on her face as she posed for a picture with the two guys, immediately after he sat down, and it finally dawned on him why the name had been so familiar. "How come I knew nothing about this?"

"I forgot, Carly. Honestly!" He replied as Carly raised an eyebrow suspiciously, as if she didn't believe a word he was saying. Honestly, he didn't blame her. How do you forget your best friend's workplace?

Especially if she was also your ex-girlfriend?

"Yeah, well, you know, you could've—" Carly started before clapping her hands to her mouth, remembering something that had just slipped her mind. "Omigod! The email from Sam!"

Okay, maybe he shouldn't have been that excited about the press conference cum dinner. "Sam emailed?"

Carly grinned sheepishly, scratching her head. "Yeah, she probably sent you one, too."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He asked, before realising the answer to his own question. Just like he expected, Carly crossed her arms huffily before answering defensively, "Well, you're the one who stormed out of the room!"

"Yeah, I know, I wasn't thinking, sorry." He apologised sheepishly, as Carly softened. "It's fine, but what are you going to do about Sam?"

He sighed. He knew that this question would come sooner or later, but he hated having to answer it. "Well, we'll just have to see how it goes. If I meet Sam, sure, that's great, but…"

"But?" Carly prompted, and Freddie looked down at the table, studying the folds and curves the tablecloth made.

"If we don't, I'll just have to wait a couple months more."

* * *

><p>Sam opened the door to her humble condominium apartment, turning on the lights as she did, dumping her bag on the sofa. While the company had offered to buy her a bigger house when she had been promoted the first few weeks in her job, she'd rejected it. After all, what would she do in such a gigantic house? It wasn't as if she had someone to share it with.<p>

The news Josephine had given her at dinner had set her thinking, and she'd lapsed into silent thoughts as the team ate and spoke cheerfully of anything and anything. She'd just tuned out, thinking of the possibilities.

It was like that Chinese saying she'd learnt, ' 身体虽在,心却不在.' (shen ti sui zai, xin que bu zai.) While she was there physically, her heart wasn't.

It was in Seattle, with her two best friends.

She'd written them and email a few hours back, a really rushed email before heading for work. She even remembered what she'd written.

_Hey Carls, Freddie, Gibs._

_How've you guys been?_

_Singapore's beautiful, as usual, the sun's still shining every day. I think I've gotten a tan just from walking out of the office for lunch! Sorry I haven't written all that much lately, been really busy with projects._

_They've had a really major one lately, and word's going around that Team Two's proposal is going to be rejected, and Team Three's definitely more than ready to pounce in, so wish us luck! _

_Better go, don't want to be late for work._

_Love, Sam._

_**Hey Spence!**_

_**How's that sculpture going? Not sure if it's still that egg and bacon one for the diner you were doing the last time you wrote (YUM.), but I'm pretty sure you're working on another sculpture, right?**_

_**Thanks for that idea you gave that time, when you reminded me of all the times when you randomly set all those stuff on fire (good times.), it's come in handy for this project my team's just received.**_

_**Oh, and good luck on that date I'm sure you have tonight!**_

_**I'll try and write you soon, but don't expect much.**_

_**Sam.**_

They weren't much for monthly letters, but they should pass, right? Sam sighed as she plopped into bed, turning to her side and finding herself face to face with a picture of the five of them, and a certain technical producer's chocolate brown eyes stared into her own ice blue ones, making her delve even deeper into the thoughts she'd had at the restaurant.

Groaning, she turned the television on, only to see the very same warm brown eyes on the television screen. Rubbing her eyes furiously to make sure she wasn't being completely delusional, she heard him speak about some new product his company had created.

And her heart felt like it stopped beating when he mentioned hiring her company.

It seemed that she might be seeing Freddie Benson again soon.

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson laid on his bed in his shorts and T-shirt in the apartment beside Carly's, 8F. He'd bought it just a year ago—yes, bought.—and to be honest, it was a little too big for his liking. His mind drifted off as he thought about the possibilities that could happen.<p>

And without knowing it, he thought of the day before she'd left.

* * *

><p><em>The two of them sit at the fire escape, where everything first started, years ago with a single kiss. Their hands are together, fingers interwined, and the both of them just stare into the dark sky, the moonlight highlighting her golden blonde hair, making it shine; making her eyes sparkle; making the tears twinkle.<em>

"_Hey, I love you." He says, that familiar line from so long ago, the words cutting off into the silent night sky. She laughs a little, then says the same, familiar reply. "I love you, too."_

_There's silence for a while longer before she finally speaks up again. "Do you hate me?"_

_He's so shocked by this sudden question that the words just come out of his mouth immediately, why would she ever think he'd hate her? "No, I don't, but why would you ever think…"_

_She looks at her feet, shuffling them before looking back up, shrugging. "That I made the decision to go, instead of staying."_

"_You know I'd never blame you for that." He says, holding her closer, his right hand around her shoulder as she puts her head on his shoulder, both still staring at the moon, thinking, pondering, wondering. She speaks up first ,again, her voice shaking as it pierces the silent night. "Freddie?"_

"_Yeah?" he asks, closing his eyes, somewhat knowing what's about to happen, especially since he can feel that his shoulder, where Sam's head is resting, is wet with tears._

"_I was thinking about us, the other day. The time when we broke up." Sam looks at him, lifting her head from his shoulder, tear tracks visible on her face. "And, well…I was thinking that it isn't fair for you if I just uproot and leave you here to wait for me. Especially since we don't even know when I'll be back."_

"_What if…" He asks, still holding her hand, trying to grasp on to a flicker of hope, just a small flicker, but Sam knows what he's about to say, and she isn't going to let him change her mind._

"_No, Freddie." She says, and he knows her mind is made up. "It's the best for both of us."_

"_Well, Sam. Just so you know…" He says after another five minutes of silence, cocking his head and giving her that smirk she loves so much, the one he gave her when he told her he hated her after their first kiss, the 'I love you' during their first break up, and now. "I love you, now and till forever ends." _

_She smiles at him, shrugging as she slinks back into his arms, making herself warm and comfortable. "Well, that's good to know, because I love you too, Freddie Benson. Forever and always."_

* * *

><p>He grunts as he turns to face the ceiling, and he feels a tear, and ironically, a faint smile crawl onto his face as he thinks about that miniscule chance that he has to see Sam again, and the smile remains there, even as he floats into dreamland, where a certain blonde headed demon awaits in his dreams.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN **

**Hey guys! So, liked it? Hated it? Review to let me know!(:**

**And anyone who can guess what song I'm currently hooked onto right now will get a shoutout in the next chapter!**

**(hint: The song's from a group of five really cute British(I'm not sure if they're British so don't kill me if I'm wrong) guys that I heard are going to be on iCarly soon! Oh yeah, btw, I don';t appreciate haters that think they're out for publicity. Really. That's just uncalled for.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the insanely wrong wait! I've been so busy with real life lately that I didn't realise I hadn't finished writing Chapter four till Sunday! :O D: I'm really, really sorry!**

**Okay, enough rambling, on with the story!**

**Ooooooh, and shoutout to Princess of the Bookworms! Go read her story iWedding, it's wonderfully written!**

**Disclaimer: I bet that if I owned iCarly, I wouldn't have to study Plane Geometry.**

**Unfortunately, I don't own iCarly, and I suck at Plane Geometry. Figures. **

**All characters originally from iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider! All other characters belong to me.**

* * *

><p>Sam set in her office as she typed furiously on her keyboard, her eyes trained on the computer screen, and the only sound in her office was that of her typing. She was currently drafting out a proposal that they were sending to an ice-cream company called 'Queens', and as she finished typing in the last word, she heaved a huge sigh of relief as she sent a copy of it to Tucker, a newcomer to the team in charge of the proposal, and another copy to Clarence, just in case.<p>

Sigh. She really shouldn't have accepted a newcomer into the team, did she?

Or rather, not one as clumsy or blur as Tucker was. He'd managed to spill coffee all over her nice beige carpet and accidentally swept all her papers onto the floor at the same time with just one fall. Thank God the papers had landed on nice, dry carpet and not the wet spot where the coffee had landed.

Although she'd tried to be more patient and tolerant, it'd taken her all her self control to calmly tell him to "get the hell out of my office before you wreck anymore havoc.". The poor boy, not used to Sam's choice of words and new to the team and his work, scurried away as the rest of her subordinates looked on, clearly amused by the entertainment du jour, and had started betting on when the boy would ask for a transfer or get fired. Or maybe, quit.

But really, had Sam been as hot headed as she had been in high school, the boy would've been in some serious chiz.

Sam believed he'd resign in three days.

"Josephine, could you get me lunch today?" She greeted as soon as her secretary picked up the phone, and she grinned as she heard the girl's chirpy reply.

"Can." Josephine smiled winsomely at Sam through the glass as she turned her chair to face her, her small face lighting up. "Chicken rice okay with you?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Sam replied, nonplussed and already thinking of what she was going to do during the period of freedom during her lunch break. "Pick me up a Caramel Macchiato and a brownie from Starbucks while you're at it, will you?"

"Sure thing, boss. Anything else?"

"Yeah, uh… resignation, three days." Sam smiled at the petite, raven haired girl, who bounced up immediately, waving over to Clarence, who was collecting the bets. "Sure thing, Miss P. Thanks!"

Laughing at her excitement, Sam put down the blinds and plopped into the sofa beside the door, closing her eyes as she concentrated on the memories that Josephine's latest news had given her, her memories in Seattle. Her fondest memories.

And somehow, it didn't surprise her when a certain brown-haired technical producer of the once-hit webshow iCarly kept popping up in her mind. His brown, glossy hair, almost the same shade as his chocolate brown eyes. Sighing as she opened her eyes, she got up and grabbed her laptop from the side table and began typing up an email.

She never sent it.

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson sat at his desk, fumbling around for a pencil and some paper to write down an idea he had for an accessory for the PP1.<p>

And as he drew it, he became more and more confused. It was as if he didn't have an image of what he was drawing in his mind, but yet here he was, moving his hand, sketching, outlining, shading, and colouring. And as he leaned back in his chair to observe the drawing, he laughed, realising what he'd drawn.

A phone strap, with a whole ham, streaks of bacon, and a sunny side up made of plastic hanging at the end.

Without knowing it, Sam Puckett infiltrated his thoughts yet again, and with each flash of golden hair and every smile he saw appear, Freddie felt the smile on his face grow wider and wider.

"Wow, you really do miss her." A gentle, feminine voice called out from just beside his ear, and Freddie almost jumped out of his skin before recognising the girl beside him. "What the chiz, Carly? You almost scared the chiz out of me!"

"I'm sorry!" Carly replied, holding her hands up in mock surrender, jumping a step back from Freddie. "It's just, you looked so peaceful, just sitting there."

There's silence as Carly twiddles her fingers as she tries to figure out what she wants to say, and she caves after about 10 minutes, repeating her first sentence from when she came in. "You really do miss her, don't you?"

"Who?" Freddie asks, momentarily confused. "Oh, you mean Sam?"

"No, a talking Zebra! Of course Sam!" Carly shoots, slightly annoyed. "I mean, PP1? A phone accessory that had a ham, bacon and fried eggs dangling from it? Freddie, any fan of iCarly can take a hint, let alone me."

"Fans of iCarly? Didn't we stop broadcasting iCarly when—" He starts, only to be stopped by a sad sigh from Carly.

"Sam left? We did." Carly looked wistfully at the walls, where pictures of iCarly at the webshow awards hang proudly. "But we never did close down iCarly . com. Fans have been raving all over the phone and on the website, and they've started calling the phone the Princess Puckett 1."

"Wait, the unofficial name of the phone?"

"Yeah, that's the point, they've figured it out!"

"Oh, chiz."

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett sighed once again and pulled down the blinds as Tucker slips and falls onto Clarence, whose chubby face looks like he's had his last straw. So far, Tucker had already managed to piss off most of his co-workers, and it had only been five hours into the first day. Even the usually calm and jolly Clarence was already close to blowing his top.<p>

To be honest, Sam felt a tad bit bad for the guy. He'd been kicked out of the last two teams that he had been in, and her team was the last chance he had at salvaging a post at the company. Just as she was pondering over this fact, Josephine poked her head in. "Miss Puckett? Tucker's looking for you."

Sam sighed as she felt a migraine coming on just at the sound of his name. Waving a hand in to the dark-haired boy that looked like a string bean, she took a deep breath, smiling at Josephine as she said, "Let him in."

As the boy shuffled into the room, Sam restrained herself from giving herself a facepalm as he tripped over his own two feet on the carpet floor, only just managing to right himself before he landed face first onto the ground.

"Tucker, please sit down before you dirty my office yet again." Sam groaned, putting her hand on her head, rubbing her temples as she used her other hand to gesture to the empty seat in front of her table. His head low and a look of slight embarrassment in his face, he plopped into the chair gingerly.

"Just say what you came in here to tell me, and you can go." Sam said, looking at her watch and tapping her fingers on her table, clearly bored out of her skull. It wasn't as if she didn't know what he was going to say, anyway.

"I'd like to tender my resignation, Miss Puckett." The words tumbled out of his mouth as he placed a white envelope with the words 'Letter of Resignation' written on it in neat handwriting. Before he could say anything else, though, Sam grinned. "Just pass the letter to Josephine outside. She'll know what to do."

Confused by her words, Tucker stood up and turned for the door before being called back by Sam again. "Pass this note to Josephine on your way out, will you?"

Less than five minutes later, Josephine grinned and winked at Sam as Tucker complied, scanning the message in less than three seconds. Sticking the post it back on the glass wall, Sam read her reply and smirked.

**Treat me to lunch.**

_Sure!_

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson sat, once again in his office, staring into open space. Everyone else in the office had left for the day, and the corridor outside was dark and empty. He sighed as he twirled the chair to face the giant window previously behind him, looking out at the night sky, the moon highlighting the landscape of Seattle, and he closed his eyes as he tried to relax. After a half hour of silent thoughts, he turned around and flipped open his sketch book.<p>

At first flip, he reached the page where he had hastily sketched the PP1, then the page where he had just drawn the strap a couple of days ago. When he finally reached the last page, his heart seemed to have caught in his throat. There, in black and white, and taking up the middle of the page, was a careful sketch of Samantha Joy Puckett herself, an attempt to do justice to her bright eyes, feisty and sparkling with happiness, her lips that shined and captured the attention of others whether it was closed or opened, and just her entire personality, the essence that was undeniably Sam Puckett.

Freddie picked up a pencil as he surveyed the picture, eventually starting to shade and make minor improvements. While he must have worked on this picture a thousand times since he'd accidentally doodled it in a particularly boring meeting, he was never pleased with the end result; her hair didn't shine enough, her smile wasn't as devious or charming, her eyes weren't lively enough.

Finally, when he couldn't find a way to improve any further—though he would probably do the next time he picked it up—he held it up, like an artist viewing his own artwork. Putting it on the table gently and lying his head down on it, he sighed as he thought again of the blonde headed demon that infiltrated his dreams every night—more so now that he had a chance of seeing her again. Somehow, he could just never do her enough justice to her beauty in the drawing, no matter how carefully detailed he was.

As a tear dropped onto the piece of paper, he smiled. He _never_ would.

After all, Sam Puckett was one of a kind.

* * *

><p>Sam entered her office yet again, as she always did each morning, glad to see a Starbucks cup on the table, a pink post it stuck to it with the letters 'xoxo—J' written on the surface in a bright, sparkly purple.<p>

Sparkly purple on neon pink post it. How striking.

How very _Josephine._

She pulled up the blinds behind where Josephine sat and tilted the cup at her, raising her eyebrows in a small thank you as the secretary smiled. This was a daily routine, originating from when Josephine realised how cranky her superior could be before her afternoon coffee. Sam laughed; pulling down the blinds, and as if on cue, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Sam asked, knowing that Josephine was the one on the line. Who else could it be?

"Miss Puckett, Mr Black just sent you an email regarding the next project." True enough, Josephine was the one who chimed the words into the phone, and even though Sam was now used to what she used to call the sickly sweet tones, Sam swore inwardly.

"Ok, note taken, thanks, Jose." Sam put down the phone before continuing to mutter vulgarities under her breath.

"What the chiz, man." Sam said to herself as she leaned back into her chair, screwing her eyes shut. "I completely forgot."

She turned on the computer, typing in her email password in a haste, half praying and half hoping that whatever she'd dreaded wouldn't actually come true. Finally, she saw the message, the subject haunting her.

Sam closed her eyes, trying to steady herself as she took in deep breaths and forcing herself to calm down, she opened her eyes again and stared at her inbox.

The email she desperately wished would come.

Ironically enough, it was also the message she desperately wished _wouldn'_t come.

**Re: P&B Project Details.**

That was it. She was going to meet Freddie Benson again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Heyyy! Sorry it's so short, (again) I suck at writing multi****-chaps. D: I'll stick to one-shots for awhile after I'm done with this story, I think.**

**Liked it? Hated it (I hope not)? Will you miss Tucker? Review to let me know! **

**Xoxo, R;**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Good news for you, I brought my laptop to school and after furious typing in between classes, I've managed to finish typing up chapter five! Also, it's currently the longest chapter yet, A/N or no A/N.(: Yayyy!**

**Unfortunately, just a heads-up, I'm not very free currently, and I haven't been able to fork out time to finish chapter 6. D: So it might be quite some time before you see me update again.**

**But I will, I promise!**

**Now, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: My friend Kai Xin is shaking her head at the sight of me typing out my story mere minutes before I have to leave for Co-Curricular activites. D: So, to make a long story short, I do not own iCarly, or Sim Kai Xin. I only own other characters.(:**

* * *

><p>Sam sat on the window seat of the plane, an excited Josephine and Clarence already asleep, sitting beside her, hands entangled as her head rested on his shoulder. She sighed as she looked out the window, admiring the white, puffy clouds and the azure blue sky, birds dotting the surface every now and then as they glided beside the plane. She never did enjoy plane rides.<p>

She didn't hate them, per se. She just didn't like it, knowing that she wasn't on the ground, or even floating in outer space, but neither here nor there, knowing that if she were to step out of the plane, she wouldn't be on the ground, but falling to her death in midair. But she had to admit, the view from her window was surprisingly beautiful, and unlike almost any other she had seen before. And the sight of the sun setting midst the clouds that were now tinged with flickers of pink, orange, gold, and even red formed a vibrant image only second to one.

The sting in her chest surprised her as she remembered the image of the sunset two years ago, on that old fire escape where she had sat with the beautiful boy with the eyes that reminded her of hot chocolate, and the hair that reminded her of a huge slab of dark chocolate. She'd always wondered about that night. Had her decision been right? What if she'd never made the choice to leave him and go, maybe never leave at all? What would have been different? Would she still feel as safe as she had then, would both of them be as happy as they'd been? Or would she have just felt regret that she'd missed out on such a brilliant opportunity?

She'd never know, and at this point, it probably didn't matter anymore. She'd made her choice, and he'd supported her fully.

When she felt her eyes sting the way her heart had, she smiled faintly, a smirk soon creeping back up. She was on her way back to Seattle.

Sam Puckett was coming home.

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson sat at his office desk, feeling his eyebrow twitch as he looked at the picture on his desk, the one he'd taken with Sam a few weeks before she'd gotten the acceptance letter from her company.<p>

Rubbing his eye, he sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back on his chair as Carly walked in with Michelle, his secretary, her ever peppy smile bright on her face. "Mr Benson, the newest employee is here to see you."

"So?" Freddie asked, clearly tired and exhausted, Michelle looking slightly lost at his words, Carly shooting daggers at him. Waving Michelle out of the room as a signal that she wanted to talk to Freddie alone, she crossed her arms imperiously and glared at Freddie warningly.

"Freddie, I understand that you are busy and tired, but this is a new employee that you have screened personally, and is going to manage the reports sent to other companies or sponsors. Could you just see if he's up to standard, so we know what to do with him?" She ranted in one breath, and Freddie rolled his eyes, although he silently admitted that his best friend did have a very good point. "Fine, I'll see him. Send him in."

"Okay!" Immediately appeased at his response, Carly's perky voice came back again, and she practically skipped out of the room—how she did that in five inch heels, Freddie had no idea—soon leading in a skinny Asian boy. "Mr Benson, this is Tucker Lee."

"Tucker, please take a seat." Freddie said automatically, regretting it instantly as the boy tripped over nothing on the carpet and literally fell into his seat. Oh, boy. "So, Tucker, what was your previous job?"

"Well, I mostly wrote reports, proposals, and filing." Tucker replied as he twiddled his thumbs, muttering something under his breath. Noticing this, Freddie raised an eyebrow. The boy had to have had a harsh employer to lack in self confidence like this. "What was it you said?"

Smiling sheepishly, Tucker scratched the back of his head as he replied, "Well, other than filing and writing reports and proposals, my main job was to 'sit down, shut up and stop wrecking any havoc' in my cubicle.", earning a laugh from Freddie and Carly, who was seated on the sofa, jotting down notes. "Right. Now, back to business. Where was your previous place of employment, and who were your last three direct superiors?"

"I worked for Pandah Advertising, for Albert Loh, Sim Kai Xin and Samantha Puckett."

At the last name, Freddie fell silent and Carly gasped in shock as the words sunk in. Tucker, somehow self conscious of the fact that he'd said something to make them react like this, seemed to look a little more uneasy again, his face falling. "Oh… Did I say something wrong?"

"D-did you just say Samantha Puckett?" Carly gasped out and Tucker turned to face her, a look of confusion etched out on his face as Freddie slumped back into his chair, his thoughts going haywire as he tried to digest what he had just heard. Tucker, evidently shocked at Carly's outburst, opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish out of water. Freddie, now recovered his senses, leaned forward again, levelling his eyes to Tucker's.  
>Tucker, is the Samantha Puckett you're talking about, this one?"<p>

He lifted up the frame on his table, Sam's smiling face on the picture inside, and Tucker's face lit up in recognition. "Oh yeah, you guys are—"

"Yeah, yeah, we're Carly and Freddie of the iCarly crew." Freddie replied, preoccupied with his thoughts. But first...

"Tucker. Congratulations on officially becoming a member of P&B, now go look for Lucille in Research, you'll be writing reports there."

"Sure thing, Mr Benson." The boy grinned as he stood up from his seat, then tripped out of the door.

"That boy will be the death of us." Carly commented, clearly trying to change the topic.

"No, he'll be the death of Lucille." Freddie replied as he desperately tried to fall for Carly's trick, but failing miserably.

"Poor Lucille." Carly said, glancing up to the ceiling, like she used to do on the iCarly bits, pretending to look somewhere far away.

"Please don't haunt us in our dreams." Freddie joked weakly, his eyes falling on the picture of the blonde co-host.

* * *

><p>Sam sighed, once again as she reached the hotel room, this time in comfort and relief, stretching her arms and collapsing on top of the nice, comfy bed She was going to be in a room of her own that was conjoined to Josephine's, and Clarence would be just down the hallway, opposite of Josephine. Remembering that she needed to unpack, she groaned, turning around and getting up before opening her luggage reluctantly.

She hadn't packed much, just a few jackets, a couple of T-shirts, and some jeans. The clothes that she took out last from her luggage were three business suits, a jacket with a white blouse and a pencil skirt, in navy blue, black, and grey, which she was sure to use. God, she hated those suits. They were stuffy, boring, uncomfortable, and she just plain loathed having to wear them. The heels she had to wear with them?

Hell. If not for the fact that she was shorter and more petite than most of her clients, she'd stick to her comfortable sneakers, or at the very most, for appearance's sake, flats. It's been better when she was in Singapore, where they weren't really very tall, but now, back in Seattle… Her feet were in for it, big time.

Just as she was mulling over this, Josephine walked in, only wearing a tank top with a pair of shorts. "I'm ready to go, Sam!"

Sam took in her secretary's choice of clothes, raising her eyebrows as a smirk started to play of her face. Clarence chose that moment to walk in as well, clad in a red T-shirt and Jeans. "Wearing _that?_ Jose, go look at outside and tell me what you see."

Josephine looked confused at Sam's request, but did as she said before walking back, a frown on her face. "It's raining, but what has that got to do with what I'm wearing?"

"Josephine, you've lived in Singapore your whole life, but you're in Seattle now. You'll freeze to death wearing that."

Silence ensued for a moment as Josephine thought for awhile, before grinning, a cheshire cat worthy smile on her face. "Well, time for shopping, then."

Clarence and Sam looked at each other, groaning before Sam collapsed on the bed again. _Oh boy._

* * *

><p>Carly Shay walked down the hallway, occasionally smiling at her co-workers, but her eyes we trained on the door that she needed to walk into. Brad slid up to her, and putting a hand on her waist, walked with her at the same pace. "Dinner together tonight?"<p>

"Yeah, sure, babe. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go have a chat with Freddie." She said, pivoting on the balls of her feet gracefully before giving him a peck on the lips. "Oh, and tell Lorah I want that design coloured and polished by the time I reach my office."

"She has one hour, then?" He asked, already walking off as Carly gave a small 'Mmmhmm' of consent, walking in the door uninvited, and before Michelle could inform Freddie of her arrival. "Freddie, I need to tell you something."

"What, Carls?" Freddie asked, his voice muffled by the papers he was buried under, and his eyes, the only thing Carly could make out of Freddie glared at her, annoyed. "If this is about a sale at Lacy's or something like that, I don't even want to hear it."

"No, it's not about that, it's just…" Carly said, hesitantly, but then blurted out the only thought swirling about in her mind. "I think I saw someone that looked like Sam at Glitter Gloss, okay?"

"Really?" Freddie asked monotonously as he shuffled his papers, his brown eyes dull with lack of interest. Carly stared, outraged and disappointed as he just seemed to continue his work as usual. " 'Really?' What do you mean, 'really?'?"

"What I mean is that… maybe we shouldn't get our hopes up, Carls." Freddie sighed, finally looking into Carly's eyes, his own solemn and serious, trying to control his emotions. Carly looked down at the floor as the patterns on the carpet swirl, a blur mess from the tears forming in her eyes.

She had really hoped it was Sam, although she knew that it probably wasn't. The person she'd seen had her hair tied up in a ponytail, makeup perfect on her face, as she walked into the store, unaware that Carly was there staring at her, mouth agape, as she tried to make out her details. Freddie's harsh words had only made the hope that had ignited in her heart disappear for good, and Carly couldn't take the pain it made her feel.

"Aw, c'mon, Carls, don't cry." Freddie said, pushing himself out of his chair, grabbing a tissue from the box on his table and wiping the tears from her eyes. Carly grabbed the piece of tissue from his hand, wiping the last of her tears off before apologising. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"That you keep seeing Sam everywhere now?"

"Yeah." Carly sniffed, and Freddie gave her a small smile.

"It's okay, Carls." He said as he returned back to his seat. "But since I'm due to meet the representatives from Pandah Advertising any minute, I think you'd better go back to work."

Carly smiled faintly before touching her face gingerly. "Okay. I'll need to touch up my makeup, anyway. Thank God I used waterproof mascara this morning."

As Carly let herself out, Freddie piled up his papers, placing them in a drawer before letting out a sigh as he leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes as he thought of all the blond-haired girls he had mistaken for Sam in the past week: Amanda and Madeline from Productions, Emily and Katherine from Human Resources, Callista, Zelda, Melody and Annabeth from Research.

He knew he'd been too harsh on Carly, but it seemed that anywhere he looked, there'd be a girl with blonde curls. Standing there, and just as he'd take a step towards her, she'd turn around and greet someone, and his hopes would be dashed, shattered, and he'd just turn back from where he came from, trying not to lash out at his subordinates, and bottling up his feelings instead.

The phone rang, jolting Freddie from his thoughts as he grabbed the receiver, putting it to his ear. "Mr Benson, the representatives from Pandah Advertising are here to see you."

He replied promptly, checking his watch before grabbing a file from the bookshelf beside his desk. "See them to the conference room, Michelle. I'll be there shortly.

It looked like his thoughts would have to wait.

* * *

><p>Sam walked into the room with Josephine and Clarence at her sides, smiling at the secretary, Michelle, that had led them in.<p>

"Coffee or tea, Miss…" Michelle asked, and Samantha smirked before composing herself. "Puckett. And I'll have the coffee, thank you very much."

As the secretary turned to go, Sam stood up and asked, as politely as she could, "May I use the restroom, please?"

"Sure, Miss Puckett, it's right down the hallway, to your right." The secretary, in her late twenties, replied as Sam nodded her head in recognition. "Clarence, Josephine, if Mr Benson should arrive before I'm back, you know what to do."

"Sure thing, Miss Puckett."

* * *

><p>Walking past the corridor to the conference room, Freddie could've sworn he saw a flash of golden blonde curls slide across the other corridor through the mirror on the wall, but when he turned around, the corridor was deserted and empty, and he felt bubbles of anger rising inside him that was soon replaced by waves of disappointment.<p>

If you asked him, he preferred the malicious anger over the crushing disappointment.

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett entered the empty office, smirking to herself as she celebrated inwardly for still being as handy as a bobby pin; her lock picking skills hadn't faded since high school, it seemed. She stifled a chuckle as she glanced at the room, it was as neat and orderly as she expected of Freddie.<p>

Laughing, she jumped onto the couch he'd placed in the centre of the large office, and took out the elastic band that held her hair in its bun, freeing the wild, blond curls from its prison. Fluffing it around her shoulders, she glanced up at the bookshelf and smiled at what she saw.

A picture of Carly, Freddie and her, was standing proudly, a glass case enclosing the web show award they'd earned in Japan. Looking around, she decided that snooping around a little wouldn't do anyone any harm, and she plunked herself into Freddie's chair, then noticing something that made her gasp—whether in astonishment or in elation, she couldn't decide.

A picture of her and Freddie lay on the table, and as Sam looked at the picture of herself stare back at her, she realised that other than the picture of the web show awards, the only other picture of Carly was on the bookshelf as well, Brad's face grinning at her as he held Carly close, the frame spelling out 'Friends Forever' in gold.

As she stroked Freddie's face in the picture with her thumb, smiling while her thoughts flew wildly, she spied a brunette figure on his way back into the room from the gap in the blinds. Hastily placing the frame down where she had found it, she made her way quickly to the front of the table, heaving herself onto the polished surface, crossing her arms and legs as she attempted to calm the butterflies in her stomach down.

Once she saw his brown eyes widen with shock, she smirked.

"Miss me, Benson?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: CLIFFY! (: I really, really have to go now, but remember to review and tell me if you liked the chapter! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm sososo sorry for keeping you guys waiting! D': School's been really hectic, and I almost couldn't find time to type this all out! **

**Good news though, this must be the longest chapter so far! Yayy!**

**Oooh, and shameless self-promo here: If you're a Hunger Games fan, go read my newest story, Silent Nights! Hehh.**

**Hmmm. Let's get on with the story, shall we?(:**

**Disclaimer: I own two feet that feel like they're about to fall off any second now. It'd make it better if I had sore feet because of a busy day writing at Nickelodeon, but unfortunately, I got them from twelve hours of standing at a school carnival. Damn.**

**I do not own iCarly or any of the original characters, I only own any unfamiliar names. Hehh.**

* * *

><p>Freddie walked out of the conference room, smiling at the two representatives from Pandah Advertising, Mr Clarence Lai and Miss Josephine Lam who'd gone through the proposal with him. (He'd briefly wondered about the extra coffee cup that was set on the seat to his right, but had placed it to the back of his mind once the meeting had started.) Once they had reached the elevators, however, Miss Lam had smiled, offering her hand to him, and after shaking hands with him, had assured Freddie that they'd be fine with him just showing them there, they knew how to go from there.<p>

He wasn't sure why they had been grinning from cheek to cheek and shooting each other sly looks, like they knew something that he didn't, but he'd taken their words, and invited them to dinner the next day. They had sportingly agreed to meet him the next day at seven at the foyer of their hotel, Josephine looking positively delighted at the excuse to buy new clothes—sort of like Carly when she had a cute date—and Clarence groaned, making giggles erupt from the petite Asian girl when she caught the look on his face.

He turned to walk back to his office, soon feeling the dreadfully familiar wave of disappointment engulf him whole as the lively chatter from the couple disappeared. He enjoyed the company of Clarence and Josephine, they were as creative, funny and amiable as anyone could wish to get. But when he set eyes on Josephine, he couldn't help but wish it was Sam's small figure lazing in the chair instead of Josephine's attentive one, the lively brown eyes being mischievous blue ones, her straight, long black hair Sam's messy, wild blonde curls.

He sighed like he had often these days as he finally rounded the corner to his office, creasing his eyebrows as he realised that his door was unlocked, instead of locked, like how he was certain that he had left it. Slightly confused, he opened the door, his mouth falling open as he took in the sight of his office.

There, on his table, was Samantha Joy Puckett, in a grey blouse and short pencil skirt, legs crossed and arms folded across his chest, golden curls framing her face which, of course, was embedded with her signature smirk and ice blue eyes.

"Miss me, Benson?"

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett slid off the table easily, landing on her heels as lightly as a cat landing on its feet, her smirk forming into a warm smile, her eyes sparkling, arms stretching out automatically to hug the one-half of her best friends. Before she could reach him, however, another familiar brunette walked in, engrossed with the contents of a black ring file that her head was in. "Freddie, have you looked at this report? Because I think—OMIGOSH, SAM!"<p>

Carly's mouth widened with shock as she spotted the blonde, her eyes lighting up as Sam changed directions, hugging her other best friend, and the two girls jumped up and down in joy, the file long since forgotten and abandoned messily on the coffee table nearby. Freddie rolled his eyes despite the smile forming on his face, and ambled over to the door, closing it in an attempt to muffle the shrieks Carly was emitting.

"Omigosh, Sam! When did you come back? How long are you staying for? Wait… Why are you even back? Omigosh, I've missed you so much!" Carly babbled, the last part escalating into a shriek again as Sam finally broke free of Carly's tight embrace, covering her ears. "Whoa, Shay, that's a lot of questions. I just reached last night, staying for a month, maybe two, I'm not sure. And I'm here because Benson here, decided to hire my company."

"Oh." Carly frowned as she tried to digest all the information that Sam had given her, but Freddie cut her to the chase before she could ask any more questions. "Wait. So… Josephine and Clarence?"

Sam smirked, plopping onto the sofa. "They're with me."

"Oh." Freddie echoed as the news sunk in, and he stood there for a second wondering how he could have been so clueless not have pieced everything together before grinning, stretching out his arms to Sam, like she had just minutes ago. "We've missed you, Puckett. C'mere."

And as they had done three years ago, the iCarly trio hugged each other, this time with smiles on their faces.

* * *

><p>Sam, Carly and Freddie finally reached Carly and Spencer's apartment in Bushwell after a message from Freddie to Michelle and Carly's to her own secretary, Tia, to cancel all their appointments for the rest of the day, holding their stomachs and wiping the tears from their eyes as they laughed at Lewbert's reaction to Sam's return.<p>

"I can't believe he actually jumped behind the counter, screaming!" Carly laughed, clutching her stomach as Sam gasped in amazement, reliving the scene in her mind. "I know! And then he goes "Not you again! Bleugh bleugh glah I thought I'd seen the last of you in my lobby bleh blegh glaurgh!"!"

"I feel bad for him though." Freddie considered for a moment, and the two girls stared at him in amazement and bewilderment, eyebrows raised. "I mean, his life's been torturous enough without us in it."

When Sam's eyebrows rose even higher, Freddie continued. "I mean, crazy possessive girlfriend?"

"Yeah, Frednub, like he's never been mean to us the moment he laid eyes on us." Sam deadpanned as they turned the corner to the apartment, and Freddie paused, trying to find a way to retaliate, when Carly butted in. "Oh, remember the time Freddie's mum almost started dating Lewbert?"

Freddie immediately cut in, frowning. "Eh, Sam, you're right."

This elicited more uncontrollable laughter from Sam and Carly, and Freddie soon gave in as well after trying unsuccessfully to glare at the two. Carly, after much difficulty trying to find her keys and slot it in the lock while laughing, finally turned the key, unlocking the door, and Sam walked in, dumping her briefcase on the floor and jumping on the couch, groaning in relief as she laid there, clearly enjoying the comfort of the old couch, Freddie watching in slight amusement. "Oh, couch, I've missed you."

Stifling another laugh without success, Carly let out a giggle. "I'll go make you a sandwich."

"Oh… Ham?" Sam asked hopefully, sitting up as Carly's words caught her attention.

"Double ham, mayo, pickles, and I'll even add in a little of that Canadian Bacon Spencer brought home the other day." Carly replied, already at the fridge and taking out the ingredients needed.

Sam cocked her head to the side, as if in deep thought, before opening her mouth again. "By some… You do mean all, right?"

"Well… Yeah."

* * *

><p>Spencer Shay walked in his apartment, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he spotted the abandoned briefcase in the corner, taking note of the brown haired guy on the armchair and the blonde girl sprawled on the couch, a sandwich in her right hand.<p>

"Oh, look, Sam and Freddie are here, what else is—" Then, seeming to realise what he had just let slip out of his mouth, he spun around, finally letting the image of the blonde on the couch sink in. "Sam?"

Hearing her name, Sam opened her eyes and looked up at the older man before grinning and giving Spencer a small wave before getting up slightly, still half lying on the couch. "Heyya, Spence."

Not giving her any time to react, he engulfed Sam into a gigantic hug, carrying her off the couch, and Sam had to make sure her precious sandwich wasn't hurt in the progress. Spencer rambled on and on, asking questions Sam had already answered when Carly did. "Whoa, Spence, if you keep hugging me like this, I won't be able to breathe, let alone answer all your questions!

Letting her go and setting her down with a sheepish smile, he ruffled her hair and finally took in her appearance. "Whoa, what up with the fancy clothes?"

Freddie answered for her. "Well, remember how we kind of hired Sam's company to help advertise P&B?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Well, they just so happened to assign the project to her."

"Oh." Spencer pondered over this for a while, then frowned. "Wait, so where are you staying?"

"At a hotel." Sam shrugged like it was no big deal. "It's just downtown."

"We can't let you stay at a hotel!" Spencer said, looking scandalised, and Freddie raised an eyebrow. "Why not? I'm paying for it anyway."

Sam smiled wryly at Spencer, jerking her thumb at Freddie. "Whatever he just said."

"You're practically family!" Spencer thought for another while before grinning. "You could stay with us! In Carly's room!"

"Not happening, Spence?" Carly replied, hands on her hip as she walked into the living room. "We're going to Yakima this weekend to visit grandpa, remember? And I am not letting Sam stay in our house alone without supervision, even if she is a Team Leader in her company."

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense." Spencer sulked before looking at Freddie, his face lighting up again. "You can stay with Freddie, then."

"Oh, no." Sam shuddered. "There is no way in chiz am I going to stay with Crazy for a whole month."

"You honestly think I still stay with my mother?" Freddie asked, pretending to look hurt before laughing. "I moved out two months ago, into 8F. And besides, Mom moved in with Aunt Susan. Apparently her rash is inconsistently persistent."

"Okay then." Sam said, visibly pleased, taking a bite of her sandwich. Spencer focused on the sandwich a little, before gasping in horror and running to the fridge.

"THAT WAS MY CANADIAN BACON!"

"… Oops."

* * *

><p>"God, Sam, this was all you packed?" Carly asked, not daring to believe the sight before her eyes as her gaze landed on the lone red suitcase that Sam had dragged off the bed after repacking, only an extra carry-on bag that was slung over her shoulder. Sam laughed as she took in her best friend's reaction: Her brown eyes wide with shock and absolute horror, her mouth open in an 'O', her hand halfway to her mouth.<p>

"Yep." Sam replied, grinning as she handed over the luggage to Spencer, and Gibby took her carry-on, and the pair looked somewhat relieved at the sight of the bags, carrying them over to Gibby's truck. Carly gawked openly as Sam merely scanned the room to check that she remembered everything before handing the keys to Josephine. "So, Jose, dinner later?"

"Oh, Ms Puc—I mean, Sam," Josephine started before catching a glare from Sam at the formality out of the office, holding Clarence's hand. "Clarence and I are going for dinner together, and we thought that you'd like to spend some time with your friends."

The chubby man nodded, and added on to Josephine's words. "Besides, we'd like to do some sightseeing, and we didn't want you to get bored on the way."

Sam shrugged as Josephine blushed, turning to Carly and Freddie. The couple had been together for quite some time now, and honestly, as starkly different as the two were, they were somehow a match made in heaven. Who was Sam to stop them if they wanted to go out to have a little alone time? An eyebrow rising as she looked at her best friends, she asked, "So. Dinner tonight?"

Freddie nodded, but Carly and Spencer looked at each other before turning their heads back at Sam, and Sam swore she could see them exchange slightly mischievous smiles. "Nah, I have a date with Brad tonight, and Spencer has to continue packing."

Sam shook her head in disbelief—how could she not have seen that happening?—and turned back to Freddie, smirking. "Looks like it's just you and me, Fredbag."

* * *

><p>The two iCarly girls sat in the studio that looked just like how it did when Sam left, with some extra additions like updated photos—The latest additions were of Carly, Freddie, Gibby, Spencer and Brad, with occasional pictures of Sam in sunny Singapore, the ones that Sam had sent rarely. She'd hardly ever had time to go out with Josephine and the rest of her co-workers for sight-seeing, they'd all had family and other commitments to hold on to—and an odd cushion here and there.<p>

They talked—well, Carly talked, Sam listened—as they updated each other on their lives since Sam had left, lazing on the beanbag chairs they still had, Carly already all glammed up for her date, Sam still in her suit from earlier. With a glint in her blue eyes as she spotted a picture of Brad, she asked, nudging Carly playfully, "So, you and Brad. Spill."

Carly blushed a bright tomato red as she thought about her current boyfriend, and Sam gasped in joy as she scanned and analysed the look on her best friend. "Oh my chiz, you two finally got together!"

"Finally? What do you mean, finally?" Carly asked, looking slightly embarrassed and stunned, but reacting fairly quick enough to grab a cushion from beside her and flinging it at Sam in a bid to get answers, which the nimble blonde easily dodged. "Well, Spencer did mention in a few of his emails that Brad came more often than he usually did, and that you started to spend more time getting ready for work when he was hired."

Recognition dawned on the brunette as Sam continued, a slightly disappointed look on her face, "Even a blockhead could figure it out, let alone your best friend."

"Sorry for doubting you, Sam."

"Eh, don't worry about it, Shay."

Carly lapsed into a deep thought, staring into open space for a short while before turning her head to face Sam again. "Well, fine. We've been dating five months, and I think we'll last."

"That's great to hear, Shay."

"What about you and Freddie, then?" Carly asked, and Sam took a double take at the question that had appeared out of the blue, one that she hadn't even thought of since she'd landed in Seattle. Now that Carly mentioned it, Sam's mind filled with hypothetical situations where the endings ended differently, with them either getting back together, or getting back together and breaking up because she was going back to Singapore, or the worst.

Staying friends, forever.

"What about me and Freddork?" Sam managed to choke up, hiding the conflicting emotions as the different scenarios flickered in her mind, in front of her eyes, the images so real that she swore she could just reach out and touch them.

"Well, you guys took a break before you left, right? So when are you ending this break?" Sam rested her neck on the beanbag, closing her eyes as she searched in the darkness for an answer that she couldn't find. After about eight minutes, she finally gave up her searching and gave the only reply she could give honestly. "I don't know, Carls."

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson stood outside the studio, leaning against the same wall the door was on, facing the mirror that Spencer had put up a month ago, when he'd found it in the junkyard and brought it home, finally propping it up opposite the door when he couldn't find anywhere else to put it. He'd been right outside the door when he'd heard the question Carly had posed to Sam, and although he knew that Sam would kill him if she saw him there, eavesdropping on their private conversation, he couldn't help but stay and listen to Sam's answer to the question he had wanted to ask himself the moment he had seen Sam in his office just moments ago.<p>

He waited eagerly, looking at the reflection the mirror gave him of his two best friends, now two years older than when they'd last seen each other at twenty-two. Carly had grown up, her long hair in a ponytail, and although she still took about two hours to get ready for her dates, it was a lot shorter compared to the full day she would spend in the bathroom and the closet. She was dressed in a short—but still decent—red skirt, and wearing a sleeved, striped, black and white blouse which sleeves came up to her elbows, white heels complementing her clothes. She'd finally filled out, and has curves that she so badly wanted when she was younger.

Sam, on the other hand, hadn't changed much, but in her case, it was more of a good thing than bad. Her golden blonde curls lay wild and messy on the beanbag, and a small smile on her face softened her icy blue eyes, giving her a softer, more feminine look, just as Freddie remembered from their dates, all her perfect curves in all the right places. She matured too, just not physically, but more so in personality and leadership, her T-shirts, jeans and sneakers replaced by suits and heels, her laziness replaced by a role as Team Manager.

He watched the blonde intently as her mouth opened slightly moving into a question of her own, confused by the sudden question, before plopping her head onto the beanbag, and he could see every golden eyelash. For someone like Sam, her eyelashes are surprisingly long, and Freddie marvelled at the feminine feature, how, like her smile, it softens the crease of her eyebrows as she closes her eyes tightly, and he feels a pang of déjà vu, and somehow, he remembers a scene of an elevator, where he felt his heart soar, and yet break, all in the span of a minute. After what seems like an eternity of silence as he stares at the mirror, focusing all of his attention on the blonde figure, the silence seeming to pierce into him mockingly, he finally sees her opening those blue eyes again.

And even though he can't hear her whisper through the supposedly soundproof glass, he sees the mouth form the words to her answer.

"_I don't know, Carls."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

** So… another cliffy.**

**I love ending on cliffhangers, but I'm sure you don't like reading them!(: Hahahh, but don't worry, the exciting part's coming soon! **

**So, as usual, whether you loved it or hated it, leave a review to tell me!(:**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys!**

**I knew I said I'd upload on Tuesday, but guess who found the chapter in her bookshelf? **

**Hahahahh, I'm really sorry you guys had to wait this long!**

**Disclaimer: I own a sore throat and a sore butt. Yeah, long story. The short story is that I don't own iCarly. Yeah. Isn't that sad?**

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't know, Carls."<em>

The words hit Freddie like a stab to the heart as he took in the look on Sam's face. Her blue eyes were sad, confused, hurt, and the corners of her mouth drooped downwards slightly, even as she tried to give Carly a half hearted shrug and smile. Even though he hadn't been able to hear the soft whisper of words, he heard her voice in his mind, and it played in his mind, saying the same line over and over again.

He slid down the wall and sat on the floor silently, just staring at the mirror, the image of the two best friends etched in his mind as the words played, almost as if they were mocking him for not doing anything. He was so deep in thought, that he almost missed Carly's next question.

Or rather, Carly's exclamation.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" She asked, flustered and confused, and Sam sighed, hugging a green cushion and staring at the ceiling, trying to find the cracks in the ceiling, the ones that reminded her of herself, her life, and her relationship with Freddie. They were flaws, imperfect, and unlike Carly's life, they were broken, and you didn't need to look at it clearly to notice the cracks that were so clearly visible, prominent, even, to the rest of the world.

Then again, Sam remembered, Freddie's life had them too. His father's lack of appearance, his unwillingness to talk about him, his crazy, overbearing mother, weren't they almost similar to Sam's life as well?

Perhaps that was why they belonged to each other, maybe.

But honestly, Sam didn't want to restore her relationship with Freddie, only to have to watch as it disintegrated in front of her, all over again— her in sunny Singapore, him in rainy Seattle—to have only emails that were sent once, maybe twice a fortnight.

Her relationship with Freddie was one of the things she treasured, and it was the only thing that in all, had been worth all those years of bickering, of having to open up. It'd hurt too much to have to let it all go, and she'd rather let things take their own course and go with the flow, especially if it meant that her heart wouldn't be shattered into pieces along the way.

She answered after what seemed like an eternity of silence, a frown on her face as Carly's—and unbeknownst to her, Freddie's—brown eyes bored into her. "What I mean, Carls, is that I honestly have no idea where we're headed."

Nothing more needed to be explained, and Freddie understood instantly.

It was just like high school all over again. When she had kissed him that fateful night at the lock-in, the pure shock on her own face that he knew had been mirrored on his as she herself tried to comprehend her own actions; at Troubled Waters, where she had checked herself in the mental hospital because she couldn't tell what it was that she wanted, and it scared her half to death; their first breakup, where she'd had to ask if they were broken up—to confirm what she had just done.

Nobody ever knew what Samantha Puckett was thinking.

Not even Sam Puckett herself.

* * *

><p>Sam paused after her answer, only to hear the door creaked, footsteps signalling that someone was walking in. She turned her head to see who it was, expecting Spencer, before immediately rising on her feet, holding the person in question by the collar when she realised it was Freddie.<p>

"How much did you hear?" She asked, flustered and furious, and she could feel a blush rising up her cheeks even as she tried to suppress it.

"Sam!" Carly exclaimed, alarmed, and even Freddie looked a little startled by her actions. But Sam refused to let go. What she had told Carly wasn't something she wanted Freddie to know. It was private, something she wasn't proud of, and it was a look into her mind and heart. It was the weakest part of her, and she never wanted Freddie to ever know that she felt that way.

And deep down, she wanted Freddie to be the one to start the first move, instead of herself.

"How. Long. Have. You. Been. There?" Sam asked again, her teeth gritted as she pulled him to eye level, and it took her all of her self control to not thrust herself in his arms and kiss him as she looked into his eyes.

"Nothing!" He said, hands up in surrender, and almost cowers under her unwavering glare. But after years of observation, Freddie had long since learnt to lie through his teeth, and he continued, as if trying to clear all Sam's doubts. "Honestly, I heard nothing!"

Sam let him go, a slight look of suspicion still on her face, but Carly cut in, slightly curious. Freddie grabbed his phone from his pocket, throwing it at Carly, who read the screen. At Sam's raised eyebrow, he said what Carly was reading out loud. "Brad'll be late for his date with Carly, he got held up at the office, he says he'll be here soon, but knowing Tucker, he'll only be ready in an hour, tops."

"Tucker? That name sounds familiar." Sam mused, and Carly and Freddie laughed.

"Oh, Sam, you have no idea."

"Anyway, what should we do for this hour?"

* * *

><p>"In 5, 4, 3, 2…" Sam said, before waving her finger at Freddie, the other two iCarlies staring at her incredulously. "What? I learnt it from that nub there standing beside Carly."<p>

"Gee, Sam, in case you haven't noticed, this nub's also your best fr—" Freddie started, before Carly smacked them both on the arms, shushing them before continuing. "I'm Carly Shay!"

Freddie rolled his eyes, jumping in as well, a smile on his face. "And I'm Freddie!"

"And this be iCarly!"

The duo jumped around, dancing, and Sam jiggled the camera a little. When they finally came to a halt, Carly put her hands on her waist and looked facefirst into the camera. "Now, you're probably wondering, if Freddie's out here, who's manning the camera?"

She paused for a few seconds, exchanging smirks with Freddie and Sam, before replying. "And our answer to that question is… Sam Puckett!"

"Get out here, Princess!" Freddie hollered, before going to get the camera from her and switching it to the B-Cam, and returning to put an arm around Sam, like Carly had.

"Howdy guys, I'm glad to be back, Singapore was awesome, but Seattle is still the best."

* * *

><p>"Whoa, look at the comments!" Freddie said as he looked at his computer screen, and Sam looked up from her place on his couch, slightly curious. Upon finding out that she couldn't see the screen from her position, she walked up to him, peeking at the screen from behind, and tried not to get too distracted by him so she could concentrate and read the words on the screen.<p>

Carly had left for her date with Brad just a while ago, and Spencer had decided to get some sleep after packing, since they needed to be up early for the drive over to Yakima—he wanted to avoid traffic—leaving Sam alone with Freddie in his apartment.

She wouldn't be sleeping on the couch, that much was for sure. Instead, she was going to be in the guest room, just opposite of Freddie's, and she had to admit, had Freddie not chosen to go into the business of technology, he would have made a decent living as an interior designer. The room was painted a bright, cheery yellow, and there was a large window sear which doubled as a bookshelf as well. It was her favourite part of the room, well, excluding the small fridge sitting beside it.

When she'd opened it to see an assortment of Peppi Cola and Fatcakes, Freddie had shrugged; a smirk on his face as his reply to her raised eyebrow. She'd plucked a Fatcake out, peeling off the wrapper and raising it in silent thanks, stuffed it into her mouth, chomping on it in unadultered glee.

Now, as she stood just centimetres away from him, she had to focus completely on the screen. He smelled exactly as he did before she had left, of vanilla and coffee, a smell that Sam had associated as dependable, safe, and home. As a strand of brown hair tickled her neck, she smiled a little, as she finally scanned through the comments.

_Cool, Sam's back! I hope this means iCarly is, too!_

_Yayyy! iCarly's back!_

_We missed you, Sam!_

Sam smirked as she stopped reading, leaning back and crossing her arms. "What can I say? Mama's just lovable."

Freddie laughed, turning to face her, and Sam grinned, taking in his appearance again for the millionth time that night. He was in a white tee shirt and grey sweatpants, and although it seemed plain, the shape of Freddie's muscles peeked through the slightly translucent shirt, and despite the fact that it wasn't what one would call washboard abs, it made Sam wish she could just reach over and rest a hand on his chest. His arm muscles weren't bad either, and she couldn't help but wonder when Freddie had gotten so built.

What she didn't know was that Freddie was thinking along the same lines as well.

When she had leaned over, a blond curl resting on his shoulder as she leaned over to glance at the screen, a smell of Fatcakes and strawberry shampoo hitting him as he gazed at the reflection of her in his computer, and all he could do to stop himself from holding her in his arms and kissing her silly was to sit in his chair, gripping his table so hard that he thought it would break.

The scent of strawberries brought smiles to his face as he thought of all the times he'd just lie with her in the sand at the beach, in the grass on the courtyard in Julliard or NYU, or even on Spencer's couch, on his bed, where he'd just play with her hair in silence. It was familiar, welcoming, and he smiled when he came to the realisation that she had never changed it.

She had never changed.

And when he turned around to face her at her comment, laughing, he realised that, as she joined in the laughter, that she was wearing her old, oversized Julliard shirt and shorts, that she really was beautiful, despite the old, comfortable clothes.

They stopped laughing, finally, and finally seem to realise how awkward the scene was, and she shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Well, nub, I'm going to bed."

"Uh, sure, go ahead." Freddie said, and Sam gave him a small smirk before heading off to the guest room. "'Nights, Benson."

"Back atcha, Puckett."

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett lay awake in the window seat, looking at the sky outside. The seat had been enlarged to the size of a single bed, and she had brought in her pillows from the bed with her. The night sky sparkled a little, despite the lack of stars in the sky. The city lights overshadowed the stars that were further away, and Sam couldn't help but smile wryly at how much she empathized with those stars.<p>

A sigh escaped her lips and she sat up, hugging her knees and back on the wall, her left hand reaching out to flick the switch that turned on the electric lamp that had been attached to the top of the seat. Picking a book that had been left on one of the shelves, she scanned the blurb, and had just flipped open to the first page when someone knocked on the dorr of the seat before swinging it open.

She almost jumped out of her skin as the person spoke. "Sorry, just wanted to think."

Freddie Benson stood there awkwardly, smiling, and Sam abruptly realised what he'd meant. "Oh, I'll just go, then."

"No, stay." He slid into the space beside Sam and closed the door, and they sat face to face, Freddie looking at the book she'd picked up. "The Hunger Games, huh?"

"Yeah." She'd replied, shrugging, and she continued to scrutinise the cover of the book. "Is it any good?"

"It is." He replied, looking at her, and he smiled. "The girl… Katniss. She reminds me of you."

Sam must've looked startled, because Freddie laughed at her expression. "It's a compliment, really. Both of you… you'd do anything for the people you love."

Sam raised an eyebrow, returning the book to its original position on the shelf before looking back out at the night sky.

Once again, Freddie Benson had read her like a book.

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson couldn't sleep.<p>

He had headed off to bed right after Sam had, but no matter how he tossed and turned, he just couldn't get to sleep. He finally gave up, and had gotten up to get a cup of water in the hopes that it would help him get to sleep soon. When he walked past Sam's room, however, he heard a light switch click on, and peering inside, realised that Sam wasn't in her bed. Noticing the absence of pillows from the bed as well, and light emerging from the cracks of the window seat, he smirked,

Heading towards the door, he knocked twice before opening it, only to see Sam jump as he said bit of small talk, the two lapsed into comfortable silence, with her eyes closed, a smile on her face.

Someone in the vicinity started playing the song 'Coming Home', and Sam chuckled softly before humming along to the tune of the chorus. Her face seemed to be glowing as she did this, and her voice was beautiful, light. Slowly, she slipped into singing, soflty gently, and just for the two of them to hear.

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world I'm coming home,_

_Let the rain wash away, all the pain of yesterday_

At the second line, her voice wavered a little, and Freddie felt a pang in his heart that he knew was the reason why she had been hesitant in singing that part of the song. _All the pain of yesterday._ The pain of their breakups cam full force, engulfing Freddie as Sam continued, her voice now confident, melodious, and haunting.

_I know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes,_

_I'm coming home, I'm coming tell the world I'm coming, Home._

As she finished the last lines of the song, her eyes opened and the blue eyes held a question for Freddie.

He knew exactly what to do.

He kissed her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Okay, Benson, we get it." Sam ranted, exasperated and eyes full of pain and helplessness. "You want to humiliate me on the web in front of millions of people, then just do it. I don't care. Get back at me for all the mean things I've sa—"<em>

_And he knows what he is going to do. He sets down his pearpad, walks up to her, and holds her in his arms, looking into her blue eyes, shining with tears that will never drop, and kissis her on the mouth, in front of millions of viewers. He hears faint cheers in the background, but he's much too focused on the blonde in front of him to actually care._

"_Yeah. So I guess we're both insane." He says smiling at her, and a faint smile appears on her face, before she shrugs._

"_So… Now what?"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>So… Now what?<em>**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'll upload the next chapter soon, I promise!(:**

**Review pleaseeeee? :D Even if only to ask about my sore butt. :/ Hehehhh!**

**The next chapter is going to be SEDDIE-filled, so look out for that, yeah?(:**

**And a shoutout to Princess of the Bookworms, who has a story called iMeet You, not to be confused with this story! It's amazing (SHE'S AMAZINGLY TALENTED) and you should go check it out! **

**Xoxo,**

**R;**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey guys, I'm really sorry, I know you're tired of the late chapters and apologies, and I'm honestly really **_**really**_** guilt stricken at the time it took me to squeeze out this chapter, even though it's really short. D:**

**I'm not going to promise that the next chapter will be soon, but I can promise that I'll definitely finish this story!**

**ANYWAYS, let's move on, shall we?(:**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned iCarly. But I don't. D: It belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon. Damn.**

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett finishes the last lines of her song and ends off on the last note, leaving it echoing in the night silence, which sounds awfully quiet all of a sudden. Freddie doesn't say anything, giving Sam some time to ponder over what she had just sung.<p>

_Let the rain wash away, all the pain of yesterday._

She had been the one, who initiated both relationships, both breakups, and she'd always wondered if that had been a wrong move on her part. Didn't people say that love could overcome anything? Nevertheless, it had been done, and nothing she could do could ever change anything about what she had done, and she hadn't done anything to change that fact that they had broken up. It had hurt, of course, but she wasn't going to cry over spilled milk.

It was done and long since an unreturnable past.

_I know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes._

Freddie had always called her Princess Puckett, hadn't he? And Carly, Spencer, Gibby and Freddie had never blamed her for anything that she had done wrong that offended them. Well, even if she had, they'd never held a grudge against her. She loved them like crazy, and she knew that they loved her too.

And when she finally opened her eyes and looked at Freddie, she saw his brown eyes fill with determination and realisation, and he leaned forward and kissed her.

For a second, her eyes widened as she tried to absorb what was going on around her, but then she gave in to the pressure, closing her eyes, her arms on his chest, slowly inching them up his shirt and pulling it up slowly. His hands held her waist firmly, playing with the ends of her hair, just as he was itching to do all day. She smiles, before letting out a giggle, still managing to get back to the task at hand. She caresses his chest, her palms on it, admiring his abs for a few seconds before she yanks it off, and he fumbles with her shirt, effectively getting to second base before unhooking her bra.

It takes him a few tries and a three impatient, annoyed grunts for him to undo the hook and finally get it off, and Sam sighs against his lips in pure relief as he flings the bra in a corner of the seat, already forgotten as they continue the make-out session, hands roaming all over each other in a way that would make Mrs Benson blush.

And then scrub Freddie up and down eighteen times, before spraying him with her collection of anti-sprays.

They finally break apart, panting, and they're both covered in a thin layer of sweat that none of them seems to notice. He looks at her questioningly, and Sam raises an eyebrow before plopping onto his chest, her face facing him, her head on his chest and curled up in a ball, on her face a satisfied smile. He feels her breathing even out as she falls asleep, and slowly, he drifts off into dreamland as well, a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>He's never been so happy before.<p>

(And honestly, he doesn't think it can be placed into words, because no collection of words could actually do justice to the feelings he felt when she kissed back.)

Freddie Benson has finally understood the meaning of the word indescribable.

* * *

><p>She dreams of the boy with the smirk on his face as she sleeps. She later realises that it was the last image of him before she fell asleep, and she simply can't believe that all of it is real.<p>

How can it be?

She's Samantha Joy Puckett, and fate has never been nice to her, with the exception of giving her Spencer and Carly as friends.

Or maybe they're family. She can't tell the difference anymore.

But does it really matter, anymore?

She's finally home.

_Finally._

* * *

><p>He wakes up in the morning feeling something ticklish on his stomach, and screwing his eyes shut from the sunshine streaming in, momentarily disorientated, before a smile forms on his face as he remembers. Opening his eyes, but not before untangling his hands from her hair to cover his face from the glare of the sun, he chuckles, half wondering how he's going to get out of this, with her lying on top of him.<p>

Just as he did, the blonde in question shifts a little, groaning at the sun as her eyes start to flutter open, leaving a butterfly kiss on his chest. Yawning as she stretches, just a little, it's replaced with a smirk as bright blue eyes finally opened to look at him. "Morning, Benson."

"Morning, Princess."

"So… Last night." She states, comfortably, closing her eyes, her smirk still on her face.

"What about last night?" He asks. Sam groans. For a genius and a co-valedictorian in high school, Freddie Benson was really clueless.

"Well, now what?" She questioned, bluntly, and he bit his lower lip, slightly confused, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. "Well, Princess, I guess we're back together, that's what."

And as Sam grins, she snuggles deeper into his chest and falls asleep again, Freddie still not able to believe how lucky he is.

* * *

><p><em>Sam Puckett sits on the fire escape, or rather, leans on the staircase, one leg on the step, the other leg firmly planted on the ground, a piece of paper in her hands and a bright grin on her face as she smiles at the fluffy white clouds in the bright blue sky, an honest miracle in Seattle. She's disrupted by a knock, and her grin turns into a smirk, barely having to turn to figure out who it is.<em>

_But she turns, anyway._

"_Oh, hey, Benson." She greets, and Freddie cocks and eyebrow, hands in his pockets. "You wanted to see me, Puckett?"_

"_Yeap." She says, popping the P, and she laughs, a cheerfully bright tinkle, as her blonde hair whips around her, blown by the wind. "Mama got into college!"_

_He laughs along with her, his face lit up as well. "Of course you were! Straight As in your senior year, and Valedictorian, of course you made it into college."_

_She cocks a smile in his direction, playfully punching him in the arm. "__**Co**__-Valedictorian."_

"_I stand corrected." He nods, smiling back at her._

"_Thanks."_

"_For what?" He asks, an amused look on his face as she says that small statement. She keeps a straight face, wrinkling her nose a little, and give him a small shrug. "For helping me catch up."_

"_Eh, it wasn't an issue." He shrugs, then taps her on her temple with a finger. "You're smart, y'know, when you put your mind to it._

_They laugh, and suddenly, when the laughter fades, it's silent once more, until he decides to speak up again. "So, which college are you going to?"_

"_Julliard." Sam says, then struggles not to laugh at Freddie's look of disbelief. "Well, I am good at dancing, and Ernie, y'know, my old dance instructor, wrote a recommendation of me to the school, and I have iCarly and all to back me up. And—"_

"_And?"_

"…_and apparently Ms Goodbar wrote me a recommendation letter for art lessons."_

"_Ah."_

"_You?"_

"_Well…" He trails off sheepishly, and Sam laughs. "C'mon, you can tell me!"_

"_I decided on NYU. Decided that I'd like to challenge myself there."_

"_Aww, is Fredward Benson reluctant to leave Momma Benson?"_

"_Omigod, is Samantha Puckett going to college?"_

"… _Touché."_

* * *

><p>"<em>I should go. Need to tell mum that I got accepted into college and not retained like she expected, and that she needs to turn up for Graduation." Sam says, pushing herself off the stairs and climbing over the ledge. Before she leaves, she calls out, softly, but her message is unexpectedly carried over by the wind. "Love you, Benson."<em>

_He barely hears his own murmur of a reply. "_

_Love you too."_

* * *

><p><em>On graduation, they stand side by side on stage, ready to make their speeches as co-valedictorians. If he's honest—which he is—he'll say that he's so nervous he can barely speak, let alone say a whole speech. Sam, on the other hand, is as calm as ever, eating a Fatcake from her bag.<em>

_He says his speech—albeit shakily—and when he's done, Sam merely takes his place graciously, and says a speech so eloquent he'll never forget it._

"_WE'RE GOING TO COLLEGE, PEOPLE!" She starts, and everybody laughs and whoops and cheers with her, and he swears that the excitement is so contagious that even Mr Franklin chuckles and claps along. Then again, Ol' Ted always had a soft spot for the blonde who always ended up in his office._

_She smiles, and forges on. "I'm going to be perfectly honest and say that I never liked coming to school, but the friends here are the ones I'll never forget, not in my life. The friends we've made at this school, will be the ones I'll remember for life. The days that I spent here might not have been the best times of my life, not by a long shot, and I'll probably look back at it and groan, but I honestly wouldn't change anything about it. Not even one second of it. And I don't think any of us will."_

_She turns to look at Freddie and smiles down at Carly, still grinning. "The friends and the enemies, the smiles and the tears, the relationships and bonds we've made, nothing will ever change, and I never, ever want them to."_

_And Freddie isn't sure if she's just talking about Ridgeway anymore._

_He watches as everyone flings their graduation caps into the air, and the golden blonde curls fly wildly amongst the brown and red and black. When it's finally time for them to leave, she says something that he will remember it forever. "I'd never think that I'd ever be so normal."_

_He calls out to her, despite her standing only three feet away. "Puckett!"_

"_What is it, Freddie?"_

"_I love you." She smiles as she motions to Pam, Melanie and Carly that she'll be back over soon.  
><em>

"_I love you, too."_

* * *

><p>Freddie carried Sam to the bed as the blonde snored softly, turning to the door and ready to head to his room and get ready for the day as a pillow smacked him on the back of his head. He turned to see Sam, a mischievous smile on her face and another pillow in her hands and growled playfully, jumping onto the bed and tackling her down, tickling her mercilessly until she gave up and swatted him on the shoulder, panting and out of breath from the laughing.<p>

"No fair, you took advantage of when I just woke up." She wheezed between gasps.

"Well, nothing's fair, Princess." He smiled, kissing her on the lips as the door opened.

"Sa—Oh my god, guys?"

**A/N:**

**Guess who the last sentence was said by! (: Hahahahh!**

**Anyways, like I said earlier, I'm not going to promise anything, cos God knows that the next few months are going to be a hell of a roller coaster ride for me (I'm taking my GCE Os in November), but I'll be updating!(:**

**I love you guys so much, you know that?**

**Reviews please?(:**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, sorry for not updating, school's been a whole mess lately, and I didn't know how to tackle this chapter!**

**I'm sorry it took 3 weeks to update, and that this isn't even long enough to make up for it! T.T**

**Anyways, on with the story!**

* * *

><p>"Oh, my God, guys?" Carly's voice reverberated through the room, and Sam started laughing at the look on her best friend's face as Freddie and Carly looked at her like she was insane. "Okay, now will someone tell me what is going on?" Carly demanded exhaustedly, and a tinge of annoyance in her voice. Sam merely continued laughing as she rolled out of Freddie's grasp and off the bed, landing on her feet easily, placing an arm around Carly's shoulders.<p>

"You see, little Carly, when a man and a woman love each other, they—" She started, before wheezing into gasps of laughter as Carly's eyes widened in horror. "Don't worry, Carls, can't you see that we're perfectly clothed?"

As she turned to look at Freddie, trying to prove her point, she noticed her bra and his shirt lying in a puddle on the floor, raised her eyebrow and corrected herself, Freddie having gotten out of bed and making his way to the both of them as well. "Well, mostly clothed."

Freddie rolled his eyes as he put an arm around Sam, trying to suppress a laugh at the memory of the usually perky brunette's expression. "Sam and I got back together, if that's what you wanted to know."

"Well, duh!" Carly replied, now fully recovered from the initial shock of seeing her two friends in bed—what had she been expected to think? She'd seen Freddie shirtless and Sam tucked underneath the covers, there'd been no other assumptions that she could make.—,an evil smirk suspiciously resembling Sam's on her usually angelic face. "Can I borrow Sam for a few minutes?"

"Uh… Sure." Before Freddie had even managed to say it, however, a flash of brown and blonde had been whisked out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Spill" The excited brunette stated clearly, squealing at the thought of her friends finally getting together, the moment they were out of the room. Sam rolled her eyes, groaning; She had expected this to happen when Carly found out, and honestly, she hadn't been looking forward to it. "I'm going back to sleep."<p>

"No, you're not." Carly grabbed Sam by the hand, pulling her back and pleading. "C'mon, I told you about me and Brad, tell me about you and Freddie!"

Sam closed her eyes, smiling, remembering the night before, and she let out a sigh of happiness. Sure, it was clichéd for her to do it, but at least Carly would be the only one to see it. And right on cue, Carly's giggles brought her back to earth, and she opened her eyes to stare at her best friend questioningly. "That good, huh?"

The blonde shrugged, a smirk on her face, simply because she wasn't able to put what she wanted to say into words. It wasn't that good.

It had been magical.

Beautiful.

Amazing.

Simply indescribable.

Everything she'd ever wanted. And more.

"What does that mean?" Carly asked, slightly confused, before understanding dawned on her, and her brown eyes lit up in exhilaration and elation. "Ohmychizz_, that_ good?"

Nodding, she laughed as Carly grabbed her by the arms and started to jump up and down. "Oh, my God, tell me everything!"

Sam obliged willingly, even if she hadn't wanted to tell her, Carly would squeeze the truth out of her anyway, and she knew it. Giving a vague summary of what had gone on and judging by Carly's look of annoyance and shoots of raised eyebrows, she could tell that it wasn't enough for Carly. "That's about it, Shay."

True enough, Carly had opened her mouth to protest, only to have Freddie walk out of the room, now in his shirt, looking at his Pearphone with a frown on his face. "Hey, Carls?"

"Yeah?" The brunette asked, clearly annoyed with the distraction, her hands on her hips as she glared at Freddie.

"Spencer just texted. Isn't it like, 10am?"

"Well, yeah." Carly looked at her watch, her anger dissipating slightly. "Why?"

"Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Yakima right about now?"

"Oh my Chiz, I completely forgot!" The brunette freaked out, heading for the door, but turning back to look at Sam and Freddie. "I want all the deets by the time I'm back, Puckett."

"Whatevs, Shay. Stay Brun!"

"Stay Blonde, Puckett!"

* * *

><p>"Is it just me, or do you get completely exhausted every time Carly gets excited?"<p>

"Not just you."

"Wanna go take a nap?"

"Sure thing, Princess."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'll try to update soon, but no promises!**

**Chapter 10 is half written, though, so there's a good chance that it'll be in a week or so?(:**


	10. Chapter 10

Freddie and Sam picked up Josephine and Clarence at their hotel and decided to head for the Groovie Smoothie before going to do some sightseeing. Josephine winked at Sam upon spotting Freddie's arm around her shoulders, and Sam rolled her eyes before pulling his hand down, holding it in hers as they finally crossed the street to the store they had spent so much time as teenagers barely 7 years ago.

"Yo, Tee! A large Splat and Blitz!" Sam shouted across to T-bo, who flashed a thumbs up and grin, setting off to make the smoothies. "Jose, Clarence, what do you guys want?"

"Umm… A Mango Madness, and a Kiwi Smoothie, I guess." Josephine squinted at the signboards, and Sam hollered the extra orders off to T-bo, who nodded an acknowledgement.

Sitting down, she suddenly realized that her two co-workers were smiling cheekily at her, and she groaned, Freddie's face taking on an amused smile as he realised what was going on. T-Bo soon came over with their drinks, a big grin on his face as well. "Why, if it ain't Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson! Man, it's been ages since I last saw you guys here together!"

He dropped his voice down to a whisper, pointing at the two iCarlies. "You two back together yet?"

Freddie pulled Sam closer to him, putting his arm back around her and smirked at the older man. "Sure are."

"Well, we still have the Lov—"

"For the last time, T-Bo, we don't want a 36 dollar cup."

"What about—"

"We don't want anything on a stick, either."

* * *

><p>"C'mon, Sam, just tell me la."<p>

"Nope, not a chance."

"Pleaseeee?"

"Urgh, you're just like Carly." Sam grumbled, pulling out her phone, and Josephine raised an eyebrow at the red pearphone that Sam had had since forever. "Calling Carls, so I don't have to waste my breath telling the story all over again.

After all the squealing was finally done, (Carly was on speakerphone), Josephine smirked at her blonde superior, who was rubbing her ear gingerly, rolling her eyes. "I so knew it."

"Knew what?"

"That you liked Freddie, of course. I did watch all those years of iCarly, y'know."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, outside at the table, Freddie was talking to Clarence animatedly and the two talked about work and so on. Clarence looked at the PP1, slightly awed at the many apps that it already held. "You're saying that you came up with the idea and coding all by yourself?"<p>

"Well…" Freddie looked slightly abashed as Sam walked back, having overheard their conversation. "Nope. I did most of it. The coding, that is."

"Really?" Clarence looked stunned, and Freddie put a hand on his shoulder. "Lesson number one, never underestimate the power of a bored Sam Puckett."

"Really?" Clarence asked again, flipping the phone over in his hands, slightly astonished at the sight of the blue phone and the newfound knowledge on his boss. The brunette and blonde looked at each other amusedly, before turning back to face Clarence, nodding.

"Woah." Clarence marvelled before continuing to look at Sam incredulously. "So how come you decided to work at Pandah and not P&B?"

Sam laughed. "P&B didn't exist yet, you idiot. And besides, I wanted to work at Pandah, to work with media and advertisements, and Pandah gave me that opportunity to play with my imagination."

"Oh, right." Clarence replied as Josephine made her way back to the table, handing Sam her phone. "Here, Sam. Carly's off the phone, her granddad said it was time for lunch, I think."

"Okay then." Sam said, then grinned. "Who's up for a trip to the beach before dinner?"

* * *

><p>Sam lay on Freddie on the couch, her head on his lap as they laughed at an old tape of iCarly. They'd had fun at the beach, soaking up the sun and splashing in the waves, before heading home—or to the hotel, in Clarence and Josephine's case—to get ready for dinner at Pini's, of all places. The maitre d had placed them in their 'usual seat', the one they'd sat on their first date, and they couldn't help but laugh as their friends stared at them, confused yet amused, but now they were back home in oversized shirts and sweatpants, in Freddie's apartment.<p>

Sam watched herself banter with Carly before bringing Freddie into the scene, chuckling as she insulted him for the millionth time in all the iCarly episodes they'd watched. "I didn't mean that, y'know." She said, after the chuckling and insults were over, and Freddie cast her his usual smirk. "I know."

"Hey, wasn't this the show before Gibby and I opened that restaurant?" Sam asked, and Freddie checked the date of the video box, raising an eyebrow and nodding. "Yeah, it is." He answered, and he felt her smile from her place in his lap. "Good times."

Guilt washed over him at the simple line of hers, and he remembered the time she asked, in that empty basement, if he had a renewed crush on Carly. Sure, he hadn't, but the goofy smile he'd given her on purpose had been intended to tell her otherwise, even though a tiny part of him admitted that their relationship had flashed past his eyes at that moment, and he couldn't help but like how jealous Sam was being.

The look on her face had told him that she thought that he had a crush on Carly, and he hadn't changed her mind, just following Sam's instructions and running after Carly. The guilt soon disappeared as early as it came; he had tried, and what mattered was that he was back with his blonde headed demon, wasn't he?

They continue to watch the episodes, Sam laughing and Freddie joining in, and on particularly funny scenes, they pause the screens to laugh for as long as they need to, and Freddie can't help but notice, how, yet again, beautiful Sam seems to him. They reach the only episode where Freddie is absent, the one where Sam announces that she's never kissed anyone either, and they smile at the memory of what had come afterwards.

The next episode they choose is the one in Troubled Waters, and they watch as Freddie kisses her, and him announcing that they're both insane. She laughs, and turns up to look at him, a cheeky grin on her face. "I honestly thought that you were insane."

Her comment earns a shrug from the technical producer. "I did, too. But hey, if being insane meant that I could spend every day with you, even if we were in a mental institution, I'd take it any day."

She turned back to face the screen. "Stop the cheese, Benson." She says, but he feels the smile on her face.

It matches his perfectly.

* * *

><p>She heads to the guest room for bed, Freddie joining her, and they lie in each other's arms. She watches and listens as his breathing evens, and smirks at the smile still etched on his face. She can't sleep; She can't believe any of this is really happening to her, and she slowly untangles himself from his hold, making her way to the window seat, picking up the book series she's been reading in secret; the one she'd been so curious about, the one that brought them back together, in its own way. She's already halfway through the second book—page 165, to be exact— when a line on the page catches her eye.<p>

It's a line from Haymitch to Katniss about Peeta.

"_You could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve him, you know," _

The word hit Sam hard, and as she slides a bookmark in, the words float around in her head and haunts her as she closes her eyes. Sure, Haymitch had said it to Katniss, not her, but wasn't it true for her as well?

She didn't deserve Freddie, like how Katniss hadn't deserved Peeta. But like Peeta, Freddie had fallen, anyway, he'd loved her enough to do anything for her, and she knew that. She glanced at Freddie from her seat, and a tear dropped from her eye, landing on her cheek, guilt pouring for what she was hiding from him.

She honestly didn't deserve him, did she?

Freddie had said that she resembled Katniss, yet upon reading the book, she'd found parallels that had linked her to Haymitch, from his refusal and pain from remembering the past to hiding his sorrow in drink like how she'd chosen to hide her insecurities in violence and food, but this line, this was the line that had finally, finally linked her to Katniss.

And perhaps it was because she had chosen Haymitch as he favourite character from the start that made this line all the more painful and poignant than if coming from another character.

And as she turned off the light with this thought and got back into bed and into Freddie's arms, the guilt remained, tying knots in her stomach until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Hey lovelies!<br>I know this is a bit short, and more of a filler chapter, but I can promise that more drama is coming up soon!(:

Reviews, please? :D

xoxo;


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! No, I didn't die, I just had Prelims.**

**So, yeah, I guess you could say I escaped from Hell. **

**And I'm returning there in August for Prelim 2s. And again in October and November for GSCE Os. D:**

**Sorry for the wait. D: **

**Enjoy!**

**(Short, and FLUFF GALORE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)**

* * *

><p>Sam groaned as she turned around, feeling of the cool surface of the pillow on her cheek as sunlight streamed in from the open windows, screwing her eyes shut tightly and fumbling for a pillow to cover her tired eyes. She sighed in relief when she finally did, but sat up straight immediately at a smell that she had long since associated with happiness.<p>

Bacon.

Jumping out of bed and suddenly alert, she got to the bathroom to freshen up, knowing that the cook of this delightful breakfast wouldn't give her even a small nibble if she didn't, before heading for the kitchen, a wide grin on her face as she took in the bacon, sausage and eggs placed neatly on a plate for her with a cup of warm, steaming coffee.

Glancing, she frowned as she took in the absence of the cook, but immediately banished the action as a pair of arms snaked around her hips and she felt a warm face on her neck. Rolling her eyes, yet grinning at the action, he whispered in her ear, "So, is that satisfactory, Princess?"

She snorted, then turned to kiss his cheek before sitting down and started on her meal. "Not a chance, Benson. Mama's gonna clear out you whole fridge today."

He smirked at the sight of her chomping on her food happily and without a care in the world. That's what he loved about her. She didn't care what other people thought of her, she just did it. _"I learnt it from Dr Suess, you know, the rhymey guy? 'Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.', so I'm not going to give an effing damn about whatever anyone thinks."_

He laughs at the memory, and Sam raises an eyebrow before continuing to eat her breakfast. They have a long day ahead, and she was not going to start it without a good, hearty breakfast.

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe you cleared out my entire fridge, Sam!"<p>

"Well, you better believe it, Benson, because I did." The blonde smirks, her ponytail swinging behind her as the couple walk into the elevator, a few blonde tendrils curling to frame her face. "Sam, that could have lasted me a week!"

"Ah, stop your whining, Freddifer, it's not every day mama eats over at your house, isn't it?" She replies, calm as ever, looking up at the elevator screen before looking at her—gasp—watch, as Freddie merely grunts a grudging reply. "Looks like I've gotta go, Frednub. We'll go shopping later to restock on the food today, all right?"

And as the door opens to a group of Freddie's subordinates, she kisses him on the cheek before walking off, waving at him with a wink, leaving him speechless—as usual—and said subordinates wolf-whistling beside him.

* * *

><p><em>Oh God, someone kill me now.<em>

Sam texted under the table as the fat red head talked on and on, wincing every time he made a pronouncing error or grammar mistake.

"And once again, the, ah, average for dis year is elevent. Something that I know ist that t—um… I'll have to uh, reconfirmt with the gerls… Once again,…"

She had a sudden urge to run up to the man and strangle him, preferably with his neon yellow tie, but not before hitting her head on the mahogany table several times. This talk by the vice head of design was boring and stupid; the man obviously had no idea what he was talking about, and Sam found herself wondering how Carly could even work with this guy. She also briefly wondered why Carly wasn't there yet.

"Sorry I'm late!" Speak of the devil.

Carly walked in the door, her hair down and perfect as ever, in a flowery sundress and a simple white jacket that was way too casual for the office. Carly took one look at Sam's raised eyebrow before looking down at her clothes, starting to chuckle sheepishly. "I got here directly from Yakima, my brother Spencer kind of overslept this morning and we ended up getting pulled over by the police because he decided to speed. Anyways, thanks, Walt, I'll take it from here."

"Sure thing, Miss Shay. Thank you, Miss Puckett."

Sam nodded, then groaned in relief as he finally walked out. "Thank God, I was dying in here!"

Carly laughed, before nodding. "I know. Freddie texted me to help you out, he's at a meeting with a business partner and can't get away."

Remembering her phone, she looked down at the red mobile, smiling at the screen and the message it held.

_Hang on there, you still need to restock my fridge, remember?_

* * *

><p><strong>So. <strong>

**I'm really really apologetic, life's been really hectic lately and my muse decided to go haywire and jump everywhere.**

**And so far, being 16 kinda sucks.**

**I swear having your 16****th**** on a Biology paper is like the lousiest thing ever. Especially if it's your worst subject.**

**But I'm having my holidays in June, so that should give me time to write/upload… I hope.**

**Drama starts in the next 2 chapters. :D **

**Lovelovelove;**

**R**


	12. Chapter 12

**omg pigs are flying outside the window! Addictedtochocolates updated iMYA twice in a week!**

**Hahahh, just kidding! ;)**

**And yes, I know it's short, I'm sorry! / **

**I'd tell you why now, but that means SPOILERS.**

**Sooooo... I'm sorry.**

**Enjoy the chapter! ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>iMYA<strong>

**Chapter 12**

**Word Count: 952**

* * *

><p>"And… your coffee, m'lady."<p>

"Don't call me that, Frednub." Sam replied, her eyes never leaving her Pearbook as she took the coffee from Freddie's outstretched hands, taking a small sip before setting the cup on the table, before continuing to type again. Freddie frowned at her remark.

"Why?" He whined, dragging out the 'y', and Sam rolled her eyes in frustration. "Because, Freddork, it's the dorkiest thing I've ever heard in my whole existence."

And with that, she sighed as she leaned back on her chair, her eyes closed, and she tilted her head to the side, stretching her sore neck muscles. Shaking his head, Freddie leaned forward, placing his hands on her shoulders, before massaging them gently.

"God, that feels good." Sam groaned in pleasure as she relaxed. "I swear I've never been this tired before."

"Of course not, Princess." Freddie smirked. "You never really did any work in high school, remember? And College was a piece of cake for you, since you were actually interested in the subjects."

"Yeah, yeah, Benson." Was her retort as she stuck out her tongue at her boyfriend, who stuck his tongue back out as well with a cheeky grin on his face. "Anyways, you should probably head to bed first."

"But I wanna wait for you." He pouted, giving her his puppy dog eyes, Sam glaring at him through the reflection of the Pearbook screen. He recognised that look well. "Please, Benson, I practically perfected the puppy dog look, it doesn't work on me."

"But Saaaaam…"

"No buts. Go to bed, mama's got work to do."

"Bu—"

"Freddie Benson, you get your ass to bed right now before I make you."

"Fine." The brunette technician pouted as he bent down to kiss the blonde on the cheek before heading to bed. "Love you."

"Love you too." Came her half-hearted reply as she continued to type, a hand reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. As the footsteps faded away, Sam looked over her shoulder, making sure that her boyfriend had closed the door to his room before she switched windows, checking her email.

As she scanned through the list, an email caught her breath, and like mere weeks ago—had it really been so far away?—she felt as if her heart was in her throat. Clicking on the email from Remus, she braced herself as she read the words, then closed the file, a grim look on her face.

Closing her eyes and leaning on the back of the chair, she laughed bitterly as déjà vu came over her again, with the exception of the fact that she knew the exact outcome of things this time.

She had no other choice.

She was going back to Singapore.

* * *

><p>Freddie Benson woke up in the middle of the night, his stomach rumbling as he got out of bed, chuckling a little as he rubbed his eyes, stretching.<p>

"Sam must've grown on me." He murmured to himself as he headed for the kitchen for a midnight snack, careful not to make too much noise as he walked past the guest bedroom, where, even through the darkness, he could spot a mop of golden blonde hair beneath the covers and mounds of pillows.

Smiling, he walked down the stairs carefully, making a note to join the blonde in her bed so they could snuggle back to sleep, when he noticed that Sam's Pearbook was left on, the light dim, but still noticeable.

Shaking his head at Sam's laziness, he chuckled as he looked at his phone for the time; it was 2 am, and Sam must've decided to go to bed about a half hour ago, from his deductions. He walked up, took the mouse and was about to close a window when an email subject title caught his eye, and he looked at it again, re-reading it over and over.

**RE: Permanent Transfer to Singapore**

Despite warning signs in his head blaring and warning him over and over not to click on the email and invade Sam's personal privacy, the young founder found himself pulling up a chair and sitting on it, a frown on his face as he read through the email, his fist starting to clench and a vein throbbing in his forehead.

_Sam,_

_Regarding your request at a transfer, we have decided that it will be most recommended that you return as soon as possible to Singapore to decide if you will be transferred elsewhere or remain as you are in Singapore. We have arranged tickets for you and your subordinates to return to Headquarters in Singapore on the 13__th__ of June, 0815 Seattle time._

_On a more personal note, Sam, I must say that HQ is very pleased with your success in Pandah Advertising, and the rapport that you have with your team and the clients are well received. I feel that it is safe to say that the superiors will do all that they can to have you stay, and continue to bring the team to greater heights._

_In any case, I hope to receive your reply soon._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Sim Kai Xin_

_Team Manager_

Freddie looked at the screen in shock as the words sunk in. 13th June. That was the next day—no, today, for Heaven's sake!

And she hadn't said a word.

His eyes closed as the hurt crept back into his heart, and tears of anger tickled the corner of his eyes, a bitter laugh escaping his mouth as he pushed back the chair, his fists clenching and unclenching again and again as he tried to control himself as he walked back to his room.

Suddenly, he'd lost his appetite.

Just like how suddenly he was losing her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Cliffys! How I've missed you!**

**(not really, but you get the point.)**

**Reviews on how mean I'm being to our favourite couple?(:**

**Or maybe how fast I'm being at updating this week? :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey!**

**You know the drill: I don't own iCarly.**

**(WARNING: Slight angst, language.)**

* * *

><p><strong>iMeet You Again<strong>

**Chapter 13**

**841 words**

* * *

><p>Sam woke up blearily, feeling strangely tired and unprepared for her day. Pushing herself off of her bed and trudging to the bathroom, she could feel the soreness of the night before on her neck and back, and she snorted at herself for feeling like a seventy year old instead of her twenty four years. Struggling to hold back a yawn, she ruffled her blonde mane. Had she really been up that late?<p>

As she finally got ready and climbed down the stairs, she frowned as she realised that Pearbook was still turned on. Pausing only to put on her heels—she hated them with a passion, but had decided, when dwarfed by Freddie's co-workers, to put them on. She hated feeling dwarfed.—she stalked over to the screen, her jaw dropping as she realised where she had left it on.

"Sam." The familiar voice of a certain Freddie Benson cut into her thoughts, and she whirled back wildly, ready to defend herself if she needed to. If the brunette was shocked by her defensive pose, he didn't show it, merely raising an eyebrow as he headed into the kitchen to get some coffee.

Sam heaved a sigh of relief. He probably hadn't seen anything, she assured herself as she tapped on the laptop nimbly with her fingers, her hands flying over the keyboard in a whirl. Closing it gently, she put the Pearbook in her bag and took a sip of coffee that Freddie had poured and held up to her silently. Leaning over the counter and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she made her way to the door. "I need to get some things done earlier today, I'll catch a ride with Carly, I'll see you later, okay?"

With that, she was off, the hurricane that was Samantha Puckett.

And like a hurricane, she left Freddie behind, a wreck behind his seemingly composed image.

* * *

><p>Freddie sank onto the couch, his head in his hands as he tried to compose himself.<p>

He was angry, furious, fuming. He pulled at his hair and grunted, frustrated, feeling the heat and pure, unadultered fury boil and bubble inside him as he breathed in, and laughed bitterly, maniacally, even, when he felt a tear in his eye.

Why?

Why the fucking hell was he crying?

Throwing the cushion across the room in a fit of fury, the unbridled anger he continued to feel made him feel sick and unhinged. Texting Michelle to tell her he wouldn't be turning up for work, he headed upstairs to get a bath.

God only knew how much he needed to cool down.

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett entered the office, her head peeking in to see if her boyfriend was there. Her eyebrows creasing as she realised that the room was unusually empty, she turned to Michelle, asking politely where her superior was.<p>

"Oh, he's called in sick today, Miss Puckett. Called in about five minutes before you arrived for work, didn't you know?" The kindly woman asked gently, giving her a small smile.

Sam frowned. How could she not have noticed that Freddie wasn't feeling well? He was her boyfriend, for heaven's sake. Thanking the secretary, she walked back to her designated working area to have her lunch—a double ham sandwich she'd gotten from the deli round the corner—and groaned.

She'd been relying on the fact that they'd be having lunch so she could tell him the news that she'd wanted to tell him. She berated herself for letting it sit so long, but the time had never felt right for her to tell him. She'd be opening her mouth to tell him, but he'd look at her in the way that he did and her legs would give in. Or she'd decide that she'd just tell him the truth once and for all, like the day before, and he'd do something incredibly sweet, like making her breakfast.

She knew she shouldn't have let it sit, but she had.

And she was paying the price for it, with her guilt biting at the corners of her heart.

As she bit into the wonder that was ham, an idea came into her mind and she bit her lip, slightly hesitant before becoming completely determined.

She'd have to leave.

* * *

><p>Opening the door to her room and closing it gently, she furrowed her eyebrows once again as she wondered where her missing boyfriend was. Sighing, she tiptoed to the top of her closet, pulling her suitcase down and opened it, lying it on the bed gently before heading back to the closet again for her clothes.<p>

Closing her eyes gently, she sighed. If Freddie didn't return home in time, she'd have to leave a letter for him to see when he did return home. In any case, she'd have to be at the airport in two hours, and she certainly wasn't going to be late.

It wasn't until she had penned down her signature and placed her suitcase on the ground before the bedroom door opened, revealing a very angry Freddie Benson.

* * *

><p><strong>Review?(:<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

A/N:

-gasp- I'm updating! I think hell just froze over, someone should go check.

Yes, I'm painfully aware of how short this chapter is, but I think it fits(:

I'm also painfully aware of how angsty and sad this chapter is, so... I apologise in advance.

I'm also sorry for how Freddie's acting in these 2 chapters. I was kind of mad the other day, so... Freddie's kind of channeling me here. Heh.

Going to reply to reviews now!

**irishfan62: Thank you! Better go get your popcorn!(:**

**x3. Before . x . The. x Storm. x3 :Thank you for your lovely reviews! xD Yes, I love to leave cliffhangers, no, I don't like it when other authors use cliffys. :p Love-Hate relationships eheheh. And here's an update! :D**

**sushi .23: omg thank you! :D Updated! :)**

**seddiewarrior31: He's mad 'cos she's leaving without telling him. He feels as if she's abandoning him and he's turning the disappointment and sadness to anger, I guess. :p Then again, he's Freddie, who knows what he's thinking? (As seen in the latest episodes) There's more to this, but it's revealed in this chapter.(: Oh, and updated! :)**

**Browneyedgirlygirl: THANK YOU SO MUCH!(: Updated!**

****I love you guys so much, you know that?

Anyways, on with the show(fic)!

**[Warning: Bit of swearing. And angry words. And angst.]**

* * *

><p><strong>iMeet You Again<strong>

**Chapter 14**

**718 words**

* * *

><p>Her jaw drops as she takes in the image in front of her; this can't be happening, not now.<p>

Freddie walks in the room, his eyes burning with a look that she can't place; it's not plain anger, not hurt or sadness, but it's a little of everything. It's a look of fury, of fiery frustration, of unadultered grief, hurt and loathing.

Her heart feels as if a knife just plunged into it as the last emotion sinks in. He hates her.

"Were you just going to leave like that?" The calm tone of his words catches her unaware and shocks her beyond belief; how is he so calm at catching her in this situation? Her eyes widen, like deer caught in the headlights, and she can barely react, blinking once, twice, at his question. The tech producer breathes in heavily, as if to compose himself, and looks into her eyes, repeating his question. "Just like that?"

Sam nods her head, before shaking it, and then lifts a hand to rake her hand through her hair in desperation. She doesn't know how to reply him; she doesn't know the answer to his question herself. She frowns in frustration, looking at him, silently pleading for him to understand.

A minute passes in silence before Freddie decides that he's had enough. "God, Sam, why the fuck would you do this, just leave without a word?"

She stays silent, her eyes closed, tears brimming at the edge, but refusing to let them fall. Pucketts don't cry.

"Listen, Freddie—" She pleaded, hoping for him to listen, but he cuts her off before she can say another word, and Samantha Puckett is terrified, defenceless for what's going on next.

"Stop it."

She watches as he walks up to her and lifts up her head with his hands, looking straight into her eyes. She struggles to breathe—his eyes look like pools of warm chocolate, and they're wrapped up in waves of pain and hurt and anger, and they're the most beautiful things she's ever seen. Just as she thinks she's going to collapse on the floor, her legs feeling like jelly, he lets go abruptly, turning and walking off a little to the right, as if he can't stand to be that close to her.

"God, Sam, you're just like him." The words sting so hard, and she chokes back a sob as the tears slowly trickle down her cold cheeks. Allergies, she says to herself, finding an excuse, any reason for the moment of weakness. _Just like him?_

He answers her silent question almost immediately. "Just like my dad, Sam. He was wild, fun, crazy, and he made me and my mum feel like a prince, his queen. Then he left." He scoffed at this part before continuing, his voice filled with malice and pain. "He fucking left, the bleeding asshole. Left a hole in my mother's heart that can never be replaced. Left a broken shell in place of Marissa Benson."

He laughs bitterly, turning to face her. "He left without a word, Sam. Just like how you are, now."

She opens her mouth to reply, but words seem to fail as she struggles to find words that could fit what she wanted to tell him. He closes his eyes, scrunching his nose in distaste, as if her presence alone brings a stench that he wants nothing but to get rid of. "Frankly, I'm not surprised."

The tension was so thick that you could've cut a knife through it. "You are a Puckett, after all."

* * *

><p>He regretted the words the moment they were out of his mouth. As he opened his eyes, he saw Sam sitting on the bed, her tortured blue eyes boring into his in hurt, and the tear tracks streaming down her face told him that he had made his point. Pushing herself off the bed, she walked straight up to him, her face now set in grim determination. Bracing himself for the slap that he was expecting to get, he was caught by surprise when the blonde merely looked at him sadly, their eye contact conveying her message to him.<p>

She took one shaky breath, looked at him, and, voice cracking, bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

And then she walked out the door, taking his heart with her.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't kill me for the cliffy and review to scream at me instead?(:<strong>

**love, R;**


	15. Chapter 15

**Before you ask...**

**Yeah, you're probably going to hate me for this one. :p**

**I love you guys! School's reopening soon, though, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update. :/ I'll try my best to make it soon, but no promises!**

**Review Replies!**

**DannySamLover20: Thanks for reviewing so often! :) I really love seeing your reviews. :D**

**sushi. 23: Thank you so much! :D I squealed so hard when I saw your comment that my mum thought that I'd finally gone nuts. Ahahahh! **

**x3. Before .x. The .x. Storm. x3: Heh. I'm... sorry? :p updated!**

**Kiiiiraaaa: Thank you! And the story isn't over yet, things could change... hypothetically. :P Updated!**

**1n Rainbows: I'm sorry it took so long! Had makeup lessons for Chemistry and Biology, so I had to go back to school. :p I'm sorry!**

**seddiewarrior31: Thank you! :D I totally fangirled over your review. :) I hope you like the next chapter!**

**Irishfan62: Back with that popcorn yet? Who said anything about Freddie stopping Sam from leaving/Sam getting Freddie back? :D I never said anything about that. :p Muahahah! All I can say is, you'll have to read the next few chapters to find out what I'm planning.**

**And trust me, I've planned out _everything._**

**__Now, let's get on with the show!**

* * *

><p><strong>iMeet You Again<strong>

**Chapter 15**

**1042 words.**

* * *

><p>Sam walked in the plane, the warm air attendant offering to carry her bag and escort her into her seat in first class. It seemed that Headquarters were trying everything in their power to make her happy and follow their decisions, and they'd tried to arrange everything in perfect order for her, even giving her a couple of days off to sleep off the jetlag before maving her meeting with the board.<p>

Kai Xin—bless her soul—had booked a window seat near the front, a lone seat that was isolated from the rest of the passengers.

She was alone on this trip, Josephine and Clarence were settling the final issues with the advertisements for P&B, and besides, she was returning for her own personal work problems, which had nothing to do with the lovely couple with whom she'd had the honour to work with.

She silently thanked God, Allah, Buddha, or whoever who was up there looking down at her, because that was one of the only good thing happening to her lately. All the rest of her issues couldn't be blamed on anyone else but herself, anyways. She'd brought all this down on herself, even though she'd known the consequences from the very beginning.

Politely refusing the attendant's—Katherine, her name tag read—offer of refreshments, and graciously accepting a blanket, she snuggled underneath comfortably, the fleecy fabric feeling soft and downy on her bare skin.

_Frankly, I'm not surprised._

_You are a Puckett, after all._

_Not surprised._

_Puckett._

_After all._

She opened her eyes, blinking furiously at the tears on her face. She refused to cry.

She couldn't.

She was a Puckett, and Pucketts didn't cry.

They just didn't.

And with that, Sam Puckett fell asleep under the fleecy blanket, curled up in the first class airplane seat that enveloped her small body, a forbidden tear lingering by her closed eyelids.

* * *

><p>Freddie stormed into the kitchen, his face set in anger and frustration. This wasn't a new feeling for him.<p>

He'd felt it once, many years ago, when they were all still young and innocent, and the biggest worry in their lives was whether they were going to be able to do the next iCarly broadcast, not trust issues or work or taxes. Ironically, the only other time he could remember himself being this mad was when Sam had been involved.

He'd lost his job, his application at NERD camp, his membership to his model train club, Locker 239, a chance to go for the prestigious School-at-Sea programme… Her. It was as if her goal in life was to wreck his life up, wait for everything to calm down before throwing it into a complete ruckus.

Like telling the world he hadn't kissed anyone.

Then offering to kiss him, so they'd get it done and over with.

Occasionally picking more on Gibby than on him, especially when he was having a bad day.

Standing up for him in front of countless school bullies.

Beating up said school bullies.

Kissing him at the Lock-In.

Checking herself in at Troubled Waters.

Nothing she did was something anyone could have predicted, she was like a landmine that was buried in a garden filled with beautiful flowers, you didn't expect it when you stepped on it and your life exploded into a million tiny little pieces.

Taking out a wine bottle from the wine cooler beside his fridge—a business partner had given it to him as a housewarming present—he uncorked it and poured it into a wine glass that he'd had ready on the table, the blood red liquid slowly filling up the glass. Swirling it slowly, intently, as he looked at the drink, he sighed, before lifting the glass to his lips, downing it so that there was nothing left in the glass.

It tasted bitter at first, and then the sweetness of the wine played with his taste buds, frolicking on his tongue as if they were squirrels in a park. As he forced the wine down his throat, the bitter feeling came back, and he coughed at the bitter aftertaste that the liquid had left.

Twirling the glass in his hands, focusing on it as if it held the answers to all the questions in the world, he laughed, and the sound of his laughter feeling as bitter as the taste in his mouth. Even as he tried using alcohol to avoid thinking of her, it had done the exact opposite.

Sam was like the wine he was drinking. She'd been difficult to be around, bossy, a bully, and he'd been tormented by her. After he'd dated her, she'd opened up to him, and he'd seen a part of her that only Carly and Spencer had been allowed to witness. And now…

And now she'd pushed him aside, left him waiting in the cold, wondering how it had all gone wrong.

Laughing again bitterly, Freddie Benson set down the wine glass on the kitchen table, his head in his hands on the table, wondering if he had ever really known her.

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett opened the door to her apartment, her heart feeling as heavy as her bags as she plopped them down on the floor and shut the door, making sure it was locked. Taking off her shoes—a habit she'd picked up when Mrs Lam insisted she join them for dinner any time she could—and placing them on the wooden rack, she looked around the place.<p>

Everything was spick and span and proper, just as she'd left it, and it almost seemed as if nothing had changed. No flashbacks appeared, no sudden memory, just empty silence, lingering like a ghost in the air.

Feeling exhausted and drained, Sam dragged her feet to the bedroom, where she plopped onto in complete surrender, looking up at the ceiling she had become so accustomed to looking at.

_You are a Puckett, after all._

_God, Sam, you're just like him._

_Just like him._

_Him._

_My dad._

_You are a Puckett, after all._

As Sam turned to her side, facing an empty space, she realised what they meant by deafening silence. This was it.

A tear slipped down her cheek and on her lip, but she made no move to acknowledge it.

Pucketts didn't cry.

They didn't cry.

* * *

><p><strong>Loved it? Hated it? Review to let me know!(:<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys!**

**I'm really sorry for only updating this story now, life's been really hectic.**

**Anyway, on to the story!**

* * *

><p><strong>iMeet You Again<strong>

**Chapter 16**

**1962 words.**

* * *

><p>"I-I'm sorry, Mr Benson."<p>

Freddie's jaw hardened as he glared at the wiry frame of the boy who had accidentally stumbled into Freddie's path. It technically wasn't his fault, Freddie had swerved into his path without notice, and it wasn't his fault that he'd been on a coffee run when he'd bumped into his boss. Literally.

All he could do was wish that he hadn't been born with such rotten luck.

" 'Sorry' won't change anything, Tucker." Freddie said scathingly, unusual venom laced in his voice as he looked Tucker in the eye, staring him down. The poor boy was shivering in his shoes when Carly found them, her mouth dropping open and looking somewhat like a goldfish out of water when Freddie yelled, "You're fired!"

"Fredward Benson!" She said, still slightly shocked by the sight of Freddie shouting at Tucker, who, albeit clumsy, was a hardworking subordinate who had the slight misfortune to be slightly clumsier than the average person. Poor Tucker had his head facing the carpeted ground in a bow, apologising profusely to his boss. Well, former boss, he presumed, biting his lip. What company would hire him now? "I'm terribly sorry, Mr Benson, I'll go pack up my desk. Please send me the bill for the dry cleaning, I'll pay for it."

"Damn right you—" Freddie started, before Carly shot a glare at him. "Tucker, you aren't going anywhere except back to your desk at work."

"But, Miss Shay…" Tucker began, nervously glancing back and forth at the two friends, who were shooting daggers at each other. "Mr Benson clearly said that—"

"As the Head of Human Resources, I insist you stay, Tucker." Carly replied, not unkindly, but still continuing her death glare at Freddie Benson as Tucker raised an eyebrow. Wasn't Carly the Head of Design and… "Now if you'll excuse us, Freddie and I need a little talk."

"Sure thing, Miss." Tucker replied, before scurrying away, and this time, it was fortunate that he was out of Freddie's line of sight when he tripped over his own two feet. "I'm fine!"

People all around him merely rolled their eyes and continued on with their day.

* * *

><p>Freddie sat fuming in his office, running a hand through his hair in frustration as Carly frowned at him, standing up and tapping her foot, clearly waiting for a reasonable excuse as to why Freddie had screwed up so majorly only 5 minutes into the day. Sighing, she plopped onto the armchair beside him shaking her head in disappointment waiting for an answer she would never get from him verbally, one that she already knew.<p>

"She left, didn't she?" The brunette asked quietly, and Freddie was completely taken aback by the pang in his chest when Carly had uttered those words.

What shocked him further was the simple tone she had used in that question, as if it was nothing much, like one of her best friends leaving was one of the most normal occurrences in her life. "How can you say that so easily?"

She laughed at the demanding tone, a tiny chuckle before giving him her answer. "She told me, Freddie. Sam told me."

He slumped back on the chair, defeated and hurt as the reality of the words sunk in. She'd told Carly. Not him, her boyfriend who she saw on a daily basis, but Carly, her best friend who'd barely been around to spend time with her during her time back. The hurt washed over him again, and he almost choked on the bitter laughter that came with it. "She didn't tell me, Carly."

"She wanted to, but—"

"Do you honestly believe that? She was packing, getting ready to leave without telling me. She told you, and you were barely even here during this 2 weeks. I've been by her side this entire time. If she found a way to tell you, don't you think she'd be able to tell me if she'd wanted to?" His voice started out slow and steady, but rose at the end, his eyes mad with fury and grief.

"Freddie, I—"

"No shit, Carls! She never cared, not from the beginning."

"She did! Freddie, she cared."

"No she didn't."

"Fredward Benson, you listen to me!" The brunette girl's voice rose to a shrill, sharp voice that Freddie recognised as her 'I demand that you listen to me right now or live to regret it' voice. "Sam cared. If she didn't, she wouldn't have called me on the trip to the airport, crying so hard that I could only catch snippets of her voice! She wouldn't have given me her email password to show you something she wanted me to show you, and she wouldn't have come back at all!"

Freddie took a shaky breath, looking Carly in the eyes, silently wondering when it had been that he had convinced himself that he was in love and completely mesmerised by those brown orbs that were Carly's eyes. They were pretty, and a beautiful shade of brown, sure, but somehow, he had started comparing her eyes to a certain blondes.

"How do you know?" He demanded, trying to keep his voice under control.

"Freddie, we work in a tech company. You of all people should know that if Sam had wanted to, she could've stayed in Singapore and work with us over Skype or email or something. She wouldn't have come back and searched for us." Carly replied patiently.

"But—" Freddie started, and Carly massaged the bridge of her nose. She could already feel a headache coming from having this conversation. "Freddie, just look at what I have to show you before you say anything, would you?"

* * *

><p><em>Dear Freddie,<em>

_I miss you, I really do._

_Remember how you always grumbled about how it was constantly raining in Seattle, and how I always agreed with you?_

_It seems funny now, looking back. It's so sunny here, I miss the Seattle rain._

_Well, I've got to go, I'll write you soon._

_Sam_

_Dear Freddie,_

_How was your day today?_

_I had a day off today. And tomorrow, and the day after. Remus is making us clear our vacation days, and it turns out I haven't had a day off since a year ago, when I caught the flu from dancing in the rain._

_I'm not sure what I should do on these 2 weeks of break. I might spend the day with Josephine and the rest, they're on a break, too._

_I wish I could spend it with you though, Frednub._

_Sam_

_Dear Freddie,_

_I heard our song on the radio on the way to work today. Running Away by AM, remember? That song playing on the radio that first night we kissed?_

_I never told you, but I was hooked onto that song for weeks; it just kept playing in my mind._

_It's on loop now, in my mind, just listening to it this morning._

_I miss you._

_Sam_

_Dear Freddie,_

_You're still a nub._

_But you're my nub._

_Sam._

_Dear Freddie, _

_I saw you on the news tonight. I have to say, for such a nub, you sure cleaned up pretty well. Who did your tie tonight? Carls? Or some other girl I don't know?_

_It looks like I'm meeting you again sometime soon. I'm kind of relieved it is, I'm glad. I miss you guys._

_Gibby and his crazy antics, Spencer with his spontaneous fire-lighting, Carly and her incessant need to doll herself up._

_You know who I miss most?_

_Well, go look at a mirror, Freddork._

_Sam._

_-  
>Dear Freddie,<em>

_One hour till I see you again._

_I'm excited, you?_

_Sam_

_Dear Freddie,_

_I never meant to hurt you. It just never seemed like the right moment to tell you that I was leaving, that they wanted to give me a promotion to Vice-President immediately. You always looked so happy, so delighted, that I just couldn't bring myself to tell you._

_I never liked to see you frown. Your nose gets all wrinkly, and your forehead does this scrunchy thing, and your eyes are so intense it hurts._

_I'd rather see you smile, see your face light up, your teeth glinting, your eyes sparkling with happiness. I guess that's where the problem lay: _

_I could never bring myself to be the reason for your hurt. I'm too selfish to see you frown, to see your disappointment_

_I'm sorry._

_Sam_

_Dear Freddie,_

_One last thing. _

_No matter what, or no matter where I go, I love you, too, and I promise I'll come home._

_Sam_

* * *

><p>Freddie fell back onto the sofa again, Carly looking at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "She loved you, Freddie. She still does. That's why you were wrong to say that she doesn't care. She does. Too much."<p>

Freddie stood up, walking to the door, but before his hand could touch the golden handle that would lead to his escape from reality, Carly called out. "Wait, Freddie, I'm not done.

"She finished the advertisement. It was dedicated to you."

* * *

><p><em>She walks down the street, holding her scarf to her and her umbrella is held on to tightly with her other hand as the wind blows. Laughing as she looks up at the sky, she grins as she throws her umbrella aside and takes out her phone, laughing at the message on the screen.<em>

_It simply says 'I love you.'_

_Smiling as she uses her other hand to swipe a blonde curl out of her eyes, she types back a reply, a lovestruck look on her face. _

'_I love you, too.'_

_**I remember how we used to be**__**  
><strong>__**I remember how I used to dream**__**  
><strong>__**For someone to come along**__**  
><strong>__**And sweep me off of my feet**__**  
><strong>_

_She looks at the pictures on her phone as she sits on the park bench, looking up occasionally. She laughs as she looks at the pictures, of her and her friends, her family, and him. She chuckles as she sees the pictures of them quarreling, bickering, their mutual best friend trying to stop them to no avail. She laughs harder when a picture of them kissing comes up next._

_**Some people say wishes don't come true,**__**  
><strong>__**Well I say some wishes do**_

_**The suns been shining,**__**  
><strong>__**And I've been singing**__**  
><strong>__**This song in my head and it goes**__**  
><strong>__**La la la la la la la la**__**  
><strong>__**Nothing but brown sugar**__**  
><strong>__**When I stare into your eyes**__**  
><strong>__**I get tongue tied every time**__**  
><strong>__**You smile**_

_She's walking through the park now, stumbling and dropping her phone every now and them, dropping them into puddles, but the phone seems hardy and unaffected by the accidents. She sees him, and starts running, an eager look on her face, into his open arms._

_**Some people don't know**__**  
><strong>__**What love can do**__**  
><strong>__**Well, they should see me with you**_

_**And when they look at us,**__**  
><strong>__**They can tell, we're in love,**__**  
><strong>__**Oh, it's so obvious**_

_She laughs as he twirls her around, and then sets her down, his left hand returning to his walking stick, the other caressing her slightly wrinkled face. They smile at each other tenderly, before the screen fades black, the words "Capture the moment, Stay forever young", which fades as quickly as it appears, to be replaced with a picture of the trio, hugging each other tightly, Sam's lips on Freddie's cheek._

* * *

><p>After the video's done, Freddie storms out of the office, already on the phone with Michelle.<p>

"Freddie, where do you think you're going?" Carly shrieks after him, worried and anxious for her best friend.

"Singapore." Is his simple reply before disappearing down the corridor, leaving Carly to shake her head, a tiny grin on her face. Some things never change, she thought as she walked back to her office.

* * *

><p><strong>Liked it? Hated it? If you don't leave a review, I'll never find out!<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm back!**

**Sorry I've been away for quite a while, I had major exams which actually only end next week, Thursday, and I really needed to study.**

**I'm sorry!**

**To make it up to you, this chapter is 2,466 words! That's acutally quite long... for me. Heh.**

**I love you guys, I'll update... soon, I think. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned iCarly, there wouldn't be as much debate as to whether Dan is going to give us Seddie, because they'd still be together. So, yeah. Dan owns iCarly and any other familiar characters you might see in here. Remus, Kai Xin, Nithya, Tucker, Clarence, Josephine and co. are MINE. **

**Without any further ado, let's begin the show!**

* * *

><p><strong>iMeet You Again<strong>

**Chapter 17**

**2466 words**

* * *

><p>Samantha Joy Puckett walked into the building foyer calmly, head held high, seemingly confident, and not at all jittery like what she actually felt. In her heels—she couldn't go without them here when everyone at the meeting was taller than she was—she didn't tower over anyone, but at least was on equal height with the rest of the people.<p>

The crowd parted to make way for one of the youngest and highest ranked woman, who walked to the counter with a bored look on her face. The lady at the counter handed her her card, and Sam nodded curtly at her words. "Good morning, Miss Puckett."

Tapping in and walking into an empty elevator that the other workers avoided, with her cold glare, Sam realised, in the emptiness of the metal lift, and the glowing button she'd pressed, that she'd broken one of the Puckett's most sacred rule.

She shut her eyes and let out a cold, bitter laugh, suddenly feeling small and cold in the empty space she was in.

She was afraid. She didn't want to be alone forever. She didn't want to be feared, to be at the top, alone.

As the doors opened on the fifth floor, Sam's eyes opened, and she resumed her blank, bored face. No one would have guessed the words in her mind.

_Pucketts don't get scared. Pucketts don't get scared. Pucketts don't get scared._

She strolled into the room, walking fluidly to the chair nearest to the head of the long, mahogany table with her name on a plaque at the table. Remus, the only other person in the room, smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Sam! It's nice to see you back."

"It's great to be back too, Mr Black." She replied, her heart hammering against her ribcage as she reviewed what her plan was and shook his hand. Remus chuckled at her words. "Now, now, Sam. If I'm calling you by your first name, it's only right that you can call me by mine. Call me Remus."

"Sure thing, Remus." Sam complied, a grin at her boss.

If there was one thing she'd learnt in her years in Pandah, it was that her boss, Remus, the head of the entire company, was one of the nicest people you would meet in the industry. He was very successful, and had years of experience as a leader. He wasn't someone who sat in an office, a figurehead who merely raked in the profits that other people gained for him, he was someone who enjoyed working alongside his subordinates.

He was also renowned to be a creative, wise man who had built his company from scratch, and the reason why Sam had wanted to work in Pandah.

One would think that it was because Sam admired how he ran the company, how he could be friendly, innovative, and yet, when needed, tough and firm. But that wasn't the main reason Sam wanted to work for him, no.

It was because, once upon a time, Remus had been a juvie kid, like her.

He had been a bad apple, someone with a reputation for being bad, for bullying, stealing, vandalising. But somehow, he'd turned his life around, and he was now someone with power, position, and most importantly, a clearer insight on the world. He knew how much a place somewhere, anywhere meant something to them, how to reach out to those who understood, because he had been one of them.

Sam admired that. She wanted to be like him. So when she heard that he was in the advertising industry, and that Pandah was hiring—ironically, Remus had been in the place of Head of Human Resources, and still was, apparently he endjoyed hiring the people who would work for him—, it was almost too good to be true—a job like iCarly with the planning and creative thinking portions and getting to meet one of her heroes—it had been one of the best things to ever happen to her.

The second.

And now, knowing Remus better, it had made her feel something. Like she could leave her life of a Puckett far behind her, start anew, be a new person. And she was honestly grateful to Pandah for giving her that.

But living life in Singapore permanently…

Remus spoke, bringing her back to reality with his words. ""I'm assuming that the P&B case is going smoothly?" They were waiting for the other executives to arrive, and Kai Xin from Team One was also due to arrive, as both of them had been shortlisted for the two positions available.

Sam liked Kai Xin. She was slightly older than Sam by a year, but had taken a year off to travel to Japan, where she decided to work in the advertising industry. She had an aloof face, and it tended to throw people off when she spoke to others—usually her team—in her native language: Sarcasm. She was actually quite interesting to know when you chose to get through the intimidating nature, and she usually had amusing comments to inject into any situation. It was a reason why the two had bonded so well: they understood each other, and respected each other for their achievements.

Despite being Team Leaders for opposing Teams, One and Two, they knew that any jibes were just that—jokes and friendly competition.

"It's nearing completion, all we need is Miss Shay's approval." Sam replied, trying to keep her brain on one topic and trying to picture only one brunette's face and not the other. "Josephine and Clarence are working on it."

"That's great to hear." The man smiled, his green eyes glinting, and Sam forced herself to smile back at him, but it felt more like a grimace even to herself. Remus's eyebrows knitted together slightly; he had always been more sensitive to others' emotions, but didn't say anything else as the other co-workers flitted into the room.

Kai Xin, her hair up in a ponytail, nodded at Remus and then Sam before sitting opposite the blonde, placing her files down in front of her. Sam sighed as Remus called the meeting to a start, then plastered the bored look on her face as was accustomed—she had to bite back a smirk when she noticed that Kai Xin's expression mirrored hers.

"Both Miss Sim and Miss Puckett have displayed excellent performances in the period of time they have been hired in Pandah, and we, therefore, propose that both of them be promoted to higher positions where they could continue to benefit the company." An executive, Sam couldn't be bothered to find out which one, exactly, droned, and Sam had to stifle a yawn.

"Of course," Sam groaned inwardly as she realised that there was more to it, "Their pay would be increased accordingly, Miss Puckett's pay will be slightly higher as she does not have the extra money put in a Central Provident Fund. The rest of the money meant to be placed in it will be invested in an insurance policy as a health perk."

The bald man droned on and on, and continued. The main gist was that, should Kai Xin and Sam accept the offer, they would get a pay increase, better health policies, individual parking lots, and a bigger office to call their own.

"Would you ladies like to accept this offer, or do you need more time to consider?" Remus cut the man's speech after a while, Kai Xin smiling opposite her. Sam felt a churning in her stomach as Remus's green eyes looked into hers, and she knew everyone in the room were either looking at her or Kai Xin.

The other girl smiled graciously, giving Sam a few seconds to compose herself. "I'll take up the offer."

"That's great to hear, Kai Xin." Remus said, his accent making her name sound a bit off, before turning to Sam expectantly. "What about you, Sam? Have you made your decision yet?"

Sam looked at him, taking in his earnest look and green eyes. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, and as his eyes looked at her questioningly, she suddenly felt a pierce in her heart as she saw chocolate brown eyes looking at her, pain and confusion and questioning filled in them as they looked at her.

"I'm sorry; could you give me some time? I think I need to think this over." Sam blurted out, turning her head to look at the light brown surface of the table. The bald man scoffed. "But what is there to think about, Miss Puckett? The perks of the job are excellent, and we're certain that if—"

"That's all right, Ernest." Remus interrupted, cutting the man—Ernest—short, with a firm voice that Ernest listened to, before turning to Sam. "I'm sure you have your reasons for doing this, Sam, and I look forward to your reply in 2 weeks."

"Thank you, Remus." Sam replied, smiling thankfully at the man, who merely give her a small smile.

"Meeting dismissed."

* * *

><p>"Hey Sam."<p>

She's leaning on the railing, looking at the sky when she hears him, and she turns around. "Didn't disturb you, did I?"

"No, not at all, Remus. Just looking at the scenery."

"Ah, yes. The view's marvellous at this time of day, isn't it?"

"Sure is." She replies, and they remain in silence for a while. "Say, Remus, I've never seen you up here before, why today?"

She turns to her side, where Remus has joined her in looking out at the view of the Central Business District, the esplanade looking like a small, spiky marble in the distance, the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands looking like miniature figurines. He shrugged. "Just wanted to check up on my best worker and what's on her mind."

"Oh." Sam says, biting her lip as she turns back to face the view. Without looking at her, Remus continues. "You've been looking slightly off ever since you came back from Seattle, anything happened?"

Sam shrugged. "Nothing much. Met up with a few old friends."

Remus nodded sagely. "Ah. I almost forgot you were from Seattle. I assume something happened?"

She remains silent for awhile, trying to figure out how to form her thoughts into words. Remus seemed to notice this, and he goes on. "I chose you to go back because of that specific reason, you know, Sam?"

She whips her head to look at him, and once she does this, she realises that Remus is already looking at her. "I knew that you were friends with Fredward Benson and Carly Shay, and I knew that you once worked with them on the webshow iCarly. I thought it best that you worked with them before Kai Xin as it meant that you'd understand what they wanted best, and it also gave you a chance to visit home."

He turned to look her in the eye, a concerned look. "Sometimes, Sam, we need to return to our roots, because that's where our base is. It's what made you yourself."

He smiled, slightly more seriously. "You know, Sam, I hope that you make your decision wisely. Pick what you know what's best for you, not what seems best."

"But I don't know how." Sam said, looking away, her focus back onto the view, and Remus thinks over this thoughtfully. "Seems like you've got quite a dilemma there, young lady."

She laughs, the first time she has in days, and Remus chuckles with her as well. "Come on into my office, and you can tell me all about what's happened."

"Are you serious?" She asks, slightly awed that someone who could just easily make the decision for her would intervene and try to help her. Actually help her.

"Sure am. Think of it as… a chat between friends."

* * *

><p>He takes a deep breath before walking into the Departure Hall, heading for lane 8, which would lead him to the plane to Singapore, flanked by Josephine and Clarence.<p>

Freddie Benson was heading into uncharted territory.

He was going to get Sam back.

When he had went to ask for the couple's help, he had found it challenging to get them to be on his side. Josephine was as loyal a secretary anyone could get, he decided, as he pleaded for her to forgive him for what he had done to Sam.

When he finally managed to convince the petite Asian, it seemed even more impossible to get Clarence to change his mind. The man had been, like Josephine, one of Sam's earliest colleagues, and had even been one of the members of the group to stay with Sam until present. Others had been transferred, promoted or even resigned, like Nithya, who was transferred to India, Kaylee, who was now the leader of Group 5, and of course, Tucker.

He had personally seen how Sam had never dated anyone, not even if they were a hundred percent sincere about it, and how happy she had been when she and Freddie had finally gotten back together.

He had been glad for her. He was glad that his boss, who was one of the only people who understood his strengths and appreciated him for it, who always treated him—and everyone else in the Team—like they were her equals and not her subordinates. He admired how she would write honest recommendations to the Executive Boards based on what their merits were—no one was transferred or promoted to a position that they couldn't explore their potential, and no one was left in the group because she felt they would overshadow her. She was strong, capable, and honestly one of the best people he had ever met.

She was his friend, and he cared for her wellbeing.

That was why, when he heard Sam on the phone, her voice wavering slightly, the only sign that something was wrong, he was fuming mad.

It was also why, when Freddie had come knocking for help, making it obvious it was him that made Sam so upset, he found it difficult to forgive the man in front of him.

But it was also why he had decided to help him.

Ultimately, he decided, his boss deserved to be happy, and Freddie was the most he'd seen her smile. And it wasn't the kind of 'hey-guys-you-did-great-this-time-I'm-proud-of-you-guys' smile she gave, but genuine, delighted smiles that lit up her face.

Sam deserved to be happy.

And she couldn't be, not without Freddie.

As Josephine squeezed his hand tight as the plane took off, placing her head on his shoulder, he felt her pride at him for doing what was best for Sam. For doing this.

And he knew that no matter what happened, or how it all ended, he had done his best.

Whatever happened, it would all be up to them.

* * *

><p><strong>Liked it, hate it, or want to kill me for giving you a cliffhanger?<strong>

**Review, or I'll never find out!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**

**I am terribly, horribly sorry and mortified that I haven't updated in ages, but life decided to throw random objects at me and I gave up dodging them and just lay down on the ground and stayed there.**

**This is also really nonsensical, what I'm about to say, but I was really disappointed at iGoodbye. The ending of the pairings made it seem like a prank episode or something. That's one of the reasons why I couldn't write this chapter until now.**

**But since Sam and Cat will be up this year, hopefully there'll be some actual ending. But for iMYA, iGoodbye did not happen. **

**Anyway, enjoy the show, and I'm really really sorry for only updating this now. :(**

* * *

><p>iMeet You Again<p>

Chapter 18

1965 words

* * *

><p>They walked down the staircase from the roof, the only sound being their footsteps, and Remus starts the conversation first. "So, Sam, how was it back in Seattle?"<p>

She understands his message behind the question, that it's not just about her trip back; he's asking about the fine details, the reason for her early and lone return to the sunny little red dot that's on the opposite side of the planet. She sighs as she makes her way down the steps, foot by foot, contemplating her answer back to the kind man who is also her boss.

"I couldn't do it, Remus." She chuckles bitterly after her statement, shaking her head. "I couldn't hurt him, not again."

"It hurt so much to leave the first time, to break everything we had and come over, not knowing when we'd ever meet; I thought it was the worst I could feel, the worst pain I could inflict on myself, on him. But this time, coming back, seeing him, getting back together—" She took a deep breath, before closing her eyes and whispering into the air, like it was some kind of dark secret, "It almost broke me to have to come back."

They continue in perfect silence as they reach the twenty eighth level, walking in to Remus' office before continuing their conversation as they sat on the sofa at the side of the room. Well, before Sam continued her story. "The look on his face that day, God, I nearly thought I would just curl up and die; that was all I wanted to do for making him look and feel that way, Remus. How could I do that to him? He was my everything, I loved him so much I honestly thought I would burst into fireworks when I was with him sometimes."

She pauses as she reaches the part, that part where she doesn't want to admit hurt her more than anything anyone could have told her. "He told me I was like his father, Remus."

The tears decide to fall then, the familiar twisting pain of her heart accompanying the sobs that are coming out of her mouth as she recalls the words he said after.

You are a Puckett, after all.

He was wrong. She wasn't a Puckett. She couldn't be. After all the work and effort she'd put in to change her fate, like Melanie, who was now a high ranking lawyer that no one would have guessed grew up on the wrong side of town, she couldn't still be stuck in the hole she had been born in, the rut she couldn't escape from when she was a kid, that she'd decided to give up and sit there. She'd tried, desperately, painfully, to escape that fate.

She didn't want to be a _Puckett._ No.

She wanted to be Sam. Herself, her own person; not be limited to her past, her background, and other people's expectations of her. She was different. Not a half of a person, like people wanted when they heard she had a twin, not someone who had been on the wrong track, not just a castoff, just some loser on the street who'd flunked out of school and couldn't get a job.

And Freddie had been the one to pull her up and dust her off, giving her a hope, a dream, let her believe that she wasn't just another someone. He made her feel special, like there was only one of her, and she was unique and her own person.

That was why his words stung so badly; he'd robbed that hope, that tiny flicker of confidence away, the one he'd given her.

"He said that I was a Puckett." Sam choked out through the sobs, her voice turning softer and softer with each word, the last being a tiny whisper before she let out a small whine. Remus looked at her, understanding dawning on his face as he put an arm around the blonde, patting her back as the tears fell.

She couldn't think, there were a million things flying around in her mind as the images swirled; Freddie, looking disappointed and furious, his mouth opening and forming the words that still felt like a dagger in her heart. She opened her eyes to look at Remus, who was looking at her with empathy. "I don't even know how I'd face him again, Remus."

"Half of me feels so stupid to be contemplating the promotion, it's crazy how well things have gone here and I know so many people would kill for the opportunity. But…"

"But?" He prompted, leading to a sigh from Sam, who wiped the tears away from her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "But half of me misses Seattle. It's home, and while Singapore has been amazingly wonderful to be in… It's never felt that way."

She thought for awhile before scoffing at herself. "But that's stupid, right? I should just move to Singapore and never go back. If we're on opposite sides of the planet, I won't run into him. Maybe that's better."

"No, it's not." Remus' curt, almost bitter answer shocked her. He'd always been gentle and kind and easy going, and it was honestly shocking to see him so forceful in his opinions. "You shouldn't hide from your issues, Sam. Only cowards run away from problems, Sam, and you are most definitely not a coward."

"How do you know that, Remus?" She challenged, almost a reflex action on her part. "How are you so sure of that?"

"Because you went back. You went back." He paused, and now it was his turn to close his eyes in pain. "I didn't."

Silence ensues for a moment, and as Remus opens his eyes again, Sam looks at her boss, her hero, the one who got away and succeeded in life, against all odds, and she finally sees it.

He's human.

Remus Black is human.

But there's one thing she can't understand, and he seems to feel the question that's in her mind, the one that's nagging at her thoughts but is too afraid to ask.

What happened?

He finally relents as he looks directly into her eyes, before giving her a small, sad smile. "Maybe we should begin from the beginning."

"I was a reject, the bad boy that your mother—well, normal mothers, anyway—would warn you not to mix around with, the one that screamed 'bad news', the boy that was destined to end up dead before he reached twenty.

It wasn't all my fault, I supposed, I was born into circumstances that mirrored yours, my father was a drunken bastard that left before I was two; my mother had a drug addiction that basically rendered us broke and perpetually homeless. I fought to stay alive, stole food to survive the days, fed me and my mum with whatever scraps I could find near the dumpsters.

She never cared. She looked at me like I was someone important, someone who had money and status and meant something, instead of someone who almost had to resort to begging for money, someone who, if not worried that no one would take care of his mother if he was carted off by children welfare, wouldn't have bothered going to school and save the unnecessary bills.

Her name was… is Abigail Fowler. She was a cheerleader in high school, y'know? Worlds apart but somehow, I caught her eye. She had guys lining up to date her and I could barely stay alive but that was good enough for her. She gave me something I couldn't get anywhere else, something I didn't deserve.

She gave me her love, her heart, her trust.

And I chucked it in the bin and tore it to pieces." Remus stopped there for a while, staring into empty space. Sam presumed he was reliving his memory, recalling past events, and there was a pain in his eyes that she wondered how she could've missed, a pain so familiar that she could feel it.

Also… why was the name Abigail Fowler so familiar to her?

"I left, if that's what you wanted to know."

"I had finally scraped through college, started up Pandah Advertising. I was so busy, I didn't have time for her anymore. I worked and worked and worked, it was my life and I was so happy that I'd even made it that far.

I expanded it further, decided to aim Asia as the next area of development and chose Singapore because it had the most potential.

I didn't know how to tell her. She was my life, too, the person who had given me all that I have, but Pandah was my baby, my pride. I made a decision, a cowardly one I regret even now."

"You left." Her voice is soft, full of understanding, and he nods his head.

"I left.

At first there were phone calls and emails and voice messages, and I could hear her cries on the phone, the heartbreak, anger, fury, betrayal, but I couldn't reply her. I always thought that I'd be done in a year, two, tops, and she'd be waiting for me and I'd apologise. I wanted to give her the world, and coming here and working without distractions seemed like the best way I could do that.

Three years passed by quickly, and I'd been planning on going back to surprise Abby, apologise for leaving, and give her everything she wanted. Then the wedding invitation arrived, the week before my return." He stopped, closing his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

He wiped it away hastily, before pressing a button on the phone on the side table. A message played.

_Hey, Remus._

_You probably received that invitation by now, right? _

_God, I—._

_I'm sorry, Remus. I really am. I loved you. Fuck, I think I still love you. Even now._

_But god, Rem, he loves me. And he's beside me and he always will be. And I need that, Remus, He gives me hope. And… he's always there._

_I don't know what—_

_I don't know why you left, Rem, I probably won't ever know. Was I too much, too suffocating? Maybe we were lost in translation or I asked for too much._

_But I loved—love—you Remus Black._

_God, fuck, now I'm crying._

…

_I waited, Remus._

…

_I'll be waiting for you, you know?_

_I think I always will._

The message ended abruptly, and Remus looked at Sam. "Don't make the same mistakes I did, Sam."

She nodded, tears in her eyes as she looked at her role model. Sure, he wasn't perfect, but who was? And it took guts to admit his mistake, the most gigantic regret of his life, not going back when he should have.

There was a knock on the door, and Remus answered calmly, as if he hadn't just poured out his life story to Sam. "Hold on."

He looked at Sam intently, studying her, then placed a hand on her knee. "I think there's someone you need to meet right now."

"A psychiatrist?" She joked, heart aching as she remembered Troubled Waters. "Been there, done that."

Remus chuckled, then put on a serious, albeit concerned, expression. "No, not a psychiatrist."

The knocking on the door came again, and Remus took his hand away from Sam's knee, rising from his seat on the sofa. "Come in."

The door opened.

Someone walked in.

Remus smiled kindly at both of them, his eyes on the person who just walked in. "I'll leave you two to talk. It's nice to see you, Mr Benson."

He walked out, closing the door behind him, and Sam feels her heart constrict at the sight of brown eyes.

"Freddie."

"Sam."

* * *

><p><strong>DUNDUNDUN!<strong>

**Cliffhanger (again)! **

**Liked it? Hated it? What do you think happens/want to happen in the next chapter? If you don't review, I'll never know!**


	19. Chapter 19

Hey guys!

I know I've probably lost most, if not all of you, I can't believe I haven't updated in almost half a year! It's been a really hectic, busy year, and I think I just completely forgot and put iMYA in the back of my mind.

Also especially since I got 101 reviews on this! That's more than I expected when I first started this story! Thanks so much, everyone!

I'm not going to make any more excuses, and I'm just going to get on with the story! But of course, I have some reviews to reply, I'm sure.

DannySamlover20, SeddieFan99: I'm sorry I kept y'all waiting for so long! Here's the next chapter!

GentlegirlPH: Immediately? Um…. Oops? Hehehe, sorry, dear! Glad to see that you're enjoying the story though! That idea of Freddie and Sam staying is pretty awesome, I might or might not just use it… ;) Hahah, no, I have plans for these two, but I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it!

Sushi.23: Glad to know that you liked it, hope you'll like this too! :)

Green aura: Hey there! Thanks for being my 100th reviewer! I really appreciate it! Mmmm, time to answer your questions!

Yes, I know my story seems a little rushed out. It's part of my writing style, I'm either too long-winded or a little too abrupt hahaha!

I put Tucker in for reasons other than being the comedic relief for the fic—I mean, with all the angst and emo-ing, I think you guys deserve some laughs!—and he is most definitely not a random character! He was put in there to confirm the suspicions of the characters (Freddie and Carly) on whether Sam would be reappearing in Seattle!

Also, Sam did major in Dance, mainly because she didn't want to major in some "stupid chiz that I'd have to attend lessons for". Plus with Ernie writing recommendations, I'm pretty sure she'd have been a shoo-in for Julliard's scholarship programme, and let's face it, Sam doesn't have much cash, so money to pay for college would have been a major factor.

However, she didn't want to dance for a career, so she decided to apply for a job in an advertising—not publishing—company which was set up by someone who she looked up to, Remus, who she felt had been like her, looked down on because of what he had been labeled, but had challenged all odds to be who he was. A reason why Remus hired her was also because he could understand her background and empathized, and also because of all her wacky and innovative ideas in iCarly.

Hope that clears it up!

Now onto the story!

* * *

><p>iMYA<p>

Chapter 19

2198 Words

* * *

><p>"Freddie."<p>

The two-syllabled word made his presence feel all the more real, and she didn't know how to react. Just like every time she saw him, her heart beat against her chest, almost like they wanted to leap out from her ribcage and into Freddie's arms, like that was where they belonged. She could almost taste the anxiety that was her stomach, fluttering anxiously, both hopeful and scared. The words that they had last said to each other reverberated in her mind, echoing softly, softly, repeatedly.

_You are a Puckett, after all._

_I'm sorry._

"Sam."

The word tumbled out of his mouth like second nature, and yet, it's not something that he gave little thought towards, like he usually did. In fact, his many thoughts are a disorganized mess, and he couldn't help but marvel at how easily he turns into putty in her presence, plans thrown out of the window. Her blue eyes pierce into his and as he rakes his eyes over her, he understands how Sam has achieved respect in her own circle, her blonde hair, which he had been so accustomed to seeing in a tangled, beautiful mess around her shoulders and down her back, was now up in a bun, save for a few golden curls framing her face. Her features had been highlighted with makeup that accentuated her beauty, and she was the epitome of classy in her suit, pencil skirt and black pumps.

The silence seems almost deafening to them, Sam not being able to will herself to move, and Freddie struggling to form coherent sentences in his mind to tell her just exactly what he feels. Both of them just look at each other in the silence, before Sam shrugs a little in what seems like a small and tiny sign of truce to Freddie, that she's willing to listen.

The corners of his lips twitch a little at her move, and Sam gives him a small smirk in return. With the smallest of reassurance that she would listen to him, he opens and closes his mouth, again trying to figure out what to say.

Of course, this doesn't go unnoticed by her, and she lets out a small noise that almost seems exasperated. He hears her voice in his mind, and struggles not to chuckle.

_Come on, just say it, don't take all day, nub._

And the words from the emails decide to ambush him at that moment as well.

_You're still a nub._

_But you're my nub._

And it's these two simple sentences that give him the courage to finally manage to summarize his feelings into two words.

"I'm sorry."

And he hopes he can see the layers of meaning that has been put in that short, short sentence.

_I'm sorry._

_I should never have doubted you._

_I was being stupid, dumb, a complete fool._

_You're amazing._

_You're beautiful._

_I don't deserve you, not in a million lifetimes._

_How could I have treated you this way?_

_I'm sorry._

_**I love you.**_

Sam Puckett unconsciously slips into that comfortable manner in which she usually acts around Freddie—all pretenses stripped away, leaving the core that is her, the small, unsure little girl who's just trying to find her way in the world, to communicate with him.

At the same time, every part of her is going bonkers, her thoughts like a whirlwind in her mind, flitting in and out in mere nanoseconds as she looks into his eyes, the beautiful shade of brown that reminds her of hot cocoa, warm chocolate, iced mocha.

He opens his mouth.

She hears his apology.

The whirlwind halts abruptly.

She can't think.

For a second she's so still and unmoving that he starts to worry. Has he finally broken her?

Then everything happens so fast that it seems surreal to both of them.

She takes a step forward.

He mimics her move tentatively, closing the gap between them.

She tiptoes, hands on his shoulders for balance as she presses her lips to his. A tear slides down her cheek, and if he's noticed, he doesn't make a sound as he deepens the lip lock, taking it further, putting all his emotions into the kiss.

(He's actually really surprised, and disappointed in himself—how could he be the reason for Sam Puckett's tears?—and he vows to correct that, if she lets him.)

When they break apart, they hold each other, just a while more, and Sam places her head in the crook of his shoulder, her feet firmly planted on the ground, and he takes the moment to whisper in her ear, again and again.

"I'm sorry."

She replies him with words murmured against his lips.

"I love you, too."

After all tears have been dried, enough kisses have been given and various knocks on the door by a very patient Remus, Sam is given a week's vacation, a "well-deserved break" after successfully clinching an overseas deal with P&B Tech, and also some time to "think over the promotion".

"So where have the lovebirds put you up at?" Sam asked Freddie, who grinned sheepishly.

"Well, Jo and Clarence kind of put my luggage in Jo's house first, and they dropped me off here before heading to her place."

Sam laughed. "Well, that's dinner settled, then! We're going to have an interesting time."

"… Interesting?" Freddie raised an eyebrow, hoping his panic didn't show.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have fun trying to figure out what Mrs Lam is saying."

"Sam! So good to see you again, 你好吗? (Ni Hao Ma: How are you?) Oh, just nice, I went to the market today, can make your favourite ribs again! Simon's going to be so happy, you know he loves ribs just as much as you! Eh，你好像瘦了，(ni hao xiang shou le: You seem skinner) poor dear! Don't worry, 如果你今天吃不饱，我就不是李欣儿!" (Ru Guo Ni Jin Tian Chi Bu Bao, Wo Jiu Bu Shi Li Xin Er: If you aren't full today, I'm not/my name isn't Lee Xin Er!—Maiden name btw)

Sam chuckles heartily at the older woman's greeting when they've left their shoes at the door and entered the condominium apartment, and already Freddie understands that this woman is someone who Sam's quite close to, someone who she trusts. The woman's not quite what Freddie expected, although she does have some resemblance to Josephine, she seems slightly rounder, more cheerful, and she's taller than Josephine as well. He can tell already that she gains respect easily, with her way of making people feel at home, even if they're not part of the family. Already he feels something for her, a sense of belonging.

"Eh, Sam, who's this? 你的男朋友是吗？(ni de nan peng you shi ma?: Your boyfriend, right?)" Sam nods at the end of what Freddie understands is a question, but registers as gibberish, "还挺帅的嘛。（hai ting shuai de ma: He's quite handsome.)"

Sam laughs, and Freddie notices the slight blush that appears on her cheeks. "别让他听到，要不然他的头就变大了。 (bie rang ta ting dao, yao bu ran ta de tou jiu bian da le: Don't let him hear you or it'll inflate his head/ego)"

He looks at her questioningly, but all she does is wink at him before she introduces them. "Freddie, this is Mrs Lily Lam, or as she calls herself in Chinese sometimes, Lee Xin Er. She's Josephine's mother, and yes, Auntie Lily, he's my boyfriend."

He feels a warm rise in his chest when he hears that, and the smile that erupts on his face stays on all through dinner. He shakes Mrs Lam's hand, and nods. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs Lam."

"Aiya, no need to call me Mrs Lam la, just call me Auntie Lily or Auntie Lam like what Sam here does." The Asian woman beams, then continues before he can continue. "I'd better get back to the kitchen, dinner's still cooking. Aiyo, where's that Jeremiah! Ah Jere-ah! Never bring the drinks out for the guests ah!"

And so Freddie learns that Josephine has a younger brother who's only twelve and in his last year of primary school, and that Auntie Lily calls them Jo and Jere, while her husband, Uncle Hao, prefers to call them 'Phine and Miah.

He also learns that Sam stays just three floors up, and that she's managed to incorporated rice and noodles into her daily meals in Singapore.

He learns a lot more.

He learns that her favourite dishes now include an old cucumber soup, sweet and sour ribs and a simple bowl of steamed egg.

He learns that when they play Monopoly after dinner—it's a Friday night, and that means Family Night for the Lams—Sam will lose, on purpose, and very subtly, to Jeremiah, whose dimpled smile up at her gives her the fuzzies, and she lights up.

He learns that she will help Jeremiah with his homework wholeheartedly, he's taking his Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) in three months, and it's apparently a major test in Singapore.

He learns that Uncle Hao is fiercely protective of his children, which now includes Sam.

He learns that it takes almost an hour for Auntie Lily to allow them to leave, showering them with thirds, fourths and fifths of leftover soup.

He learns that Auntie Lily's soup is a treasure find.

And when they finally reach Sam's, he learns two more things.

She's never ever stopped loving him, as proven by the picture of him by her bedside.

He would never doubt her again.

She decides to use her break to bring him out to see the sights in the small city-state.

Instead of going to what she calls the "mainstream" and "boring" route that all the tourists flock to, she decides to bring him to the places where the locals usually frequent as well.

Instead of bringing him to Orchard Road, which he's read about as one of the top shopping destinations in the world, she brings him to Scape, and then Bugis Street, to visit some street stalls. He's taken aback by the hustle and bustle of the latter, but has to agree with Sam about how good the crepes on the second floor were.

The next day calls for a walk around Raffles City, starting with brunch at CHIJMES, before a walk to the MICA building with its rainbow shutters. They cross the road to Central at Clarke Quay where they share a cup of bubble tea before taking a boat ride on the Singapore River.

Tuesday, Sam plans a trip to Nanyang Polytechnic, where they experience an hour of being blind at the Dialogue in the Dark program before heading back to Tampines Mall for dinner, chancing upon a food fest where Sam makes Freddie buy ten sticks of bacon wrapped sausages for her as an appetizer.

On Wednesday, however, Freddie decides that he wants the full tourist experience. Suprisingly, Sam doesn't argue, but brings him along without complaint. They visit the Merlion, have lunch at Orchard Road before heading to Gardens by the Bay and play a few games at the casino in the Integrated Resorts.

By the weekend though, they've almost run out of places to go to.

"Dialogue in the Dark?"

"No, we've done that."

"Wild Wild Wet?"

"Nah, already gone."

"Hmmm… Marina Bay Sands?"

"We went there already, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"…"

"What about Universal Studios in Sentosa?"

Sam sits up from her position in bed before getting up to her feet and rummaging in her bag. "They're in here somewhere…"

It takes her a while more before she manages to fins what she's searching for, and she holds them up in triumph.

"What are those, Sam?"

"These are our plans for the weekend, Benson. Free of charge, perk of being named Team Leader of the Year."

They end up booking a hotel for the weekend in Sentosa.

He's had a plan up his sleeve for a really long time, but he hasn't found a suitable timing to strike yet.

He contemplates it when they head to the beach to enjoy a sunset during dinner.

He wonders if he should say something when they're on the roller coaster ride at USS.

He feels he should say something when they meet Cookie Monster.

But he doesn't.

He ends up saying it when they're on the skyride up to the luge.

"Sam, I love you, and I love how different you are and how amazing you are."

Her blue eyes push him to go on, silent laughter reflected in them.

"Sam, will you marry me?"

The proposal is made right before the camera flashes for the souvenir package in the gift shop.

They buy three of them in keychain form, as cliched and "tacky" as it is, one each for both of them and one for their best friend.

The store frames it up and keeps it up on their wall until the day it closes down forever, customers pointing and cooing on every visit, couples listening to the story of the caucasian couple that shared their love story with the store.

* * *

><p>"Miss Puckett, I have a business proposition for you."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFIE!<strong>

**If you guys haven't guessed by now, this was meant to be 2 chapters, but I decided to shorten it to one. :)**

**This is also (almost) the end of iMYA! There will be an epilogue, and probably another chapter to finish up the loose ends and all, but yeah, the main plot has finally ended!**

**I'm not going to make promises on when I'll next update this, so... ;)**

**I hope you guys liked this!**

**Liked this? Hated this? Have any comments/questions?**

**If you don't review, I'll never find out!**

**Love,**

**addictedtochocolates**


End file.
